Tag: Pancreatic Cancer

While it’s a long way off becoming reality, this is quite an exciting clinical trial. I have no idea if it will pick up Neuroendocrine disease but initially, patients with suspected oesophageal and stomach cancers will be asked to try the test. Later it will be extended to include prostate, kidney, bladder, liver and pancreatic cancers. It’s possible that Neuroendcorine tumours in these locations might be picked up or at least show up some abnormality that triggers further checks.

The fact that Cancer Research UK is involved gives me some confidence as they tend to back the strong horses.

I campaign hard for Neuroendocrine Cancer awareness including continually pointing out that a Neuroendocrine Cancer with a pancreatic primary is NOT Pancreatic Cancer as is often quoted in the press. The two main reasons I take up these campaigns are as follows:

1. They are totally different cancers despite an anatomical relationship. Although they share some similar presentation, they have different signs, different treatments and vastly different prognostic outcomes. What that means is that anyone who is looking for useful information on either needs to be very careful on interpretation, they could end up with very bad advice and in some situations, become more concerned than they should be (particularly with the prognostics). See more below.

2. These two different cancer types have different awareness organisations, patient support groups and patient leaders/advocates. In most cases, vastly different awareness messages. Both of these organisations and advocates need all the help they can get, they need all the resources and funding they can get.

Both Pancreatic Cancer and Neuroendocrine Cancer are diseases that need maximum publicity, both disease types have their own unique situations, thus why the awareness messages can be so vastly different. It’s really important, therefore, that publicity surrounding famous patients be attributed to the correct cancer type in order that the advocate organisations and supporters can gain maximum benefit to forward their causes. Unfortunately, thanks to doctors and media, this very often doesn’t work out in favour of Neuroendocrine Cancer due to the Human Anatomy of Neuroendocrine Cancer (this problem actually goes beyond the pancreas).

Where the press and doctors regularly get it wrong

Two famous people in particular, one in 2011 and the other this year, are regularly reported in the press as having died of Pancreatic Cancer.

Steve Jobs. One of the most famous technical innovators of his time and creator of the most valuable company in the world. He had a Neuroendocrine Cancer with a pancreatic primary. Read his story here.

Aretha Franklin. One of the most famous soul singers of her time. She had a Neuroendocrine Cancer with a pancreatic primary. Read her story here.

What are the differences?

For me, one of the two main differences are the cell type. When people talk about Pancreatic Cancer, they really mean something known as “Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma”. It starts in the exocrine cells, which produce enzymes to support digestion. Neuroendocrine Tumors start in the endocrine cells which produce hormones.

For me, the other big difference is prognostics. Unfortunately, it is statistically proven that most people with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma will die, whereas most people with Neuroendocrine Tumors with a pancreatic primary will live.

For a more detailed comparison, see this excellent article from NET Research Foundation.

diagram courtesy of NET Research Foundation

Pancreatic Cancer – Why I support their campaigns

Personally speaking, as a healthcare advocate online, I do support many cancer awareness campaigns, I think this is important to get similar help coming the other way (this frequently works for me). However, I very much suspect, other than Neuroendocrine Cancer, my biggest support area online is for Pancreatic Cancer. I’m drawn by their excellent campaigns where they focus on key messages of prognostics for what is essentially a silent disease (in many ways the same issue with Neuroendocrine Cancer) and they make these more compelling by focusing on people rather than gimmicks. The prognostics can be upsetting reading as they are quite shocking figures which have not changed much in the past 40 years, a key sign that more must be done for this awful disease. I frequently share this symptom graphic below because it might save a life and I ask that you do too.

Now the dust has settled on the death and funeral of Neuroendocrine Cancer patient Aretha Franklin, the community needs to review the strategy for how we explain the nomenclature of Neuroendocrine Cancer to outsiders including the media, and including doctors.

About 95% of the articles I read about Aretha Franklin stated she had Pancreatic Cancer. Only a few quoted her physician who clumsily said “Pancreatic Cancer of the Neuroendocrine Type”. Her death certificate quoted “Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Cancer”. Despite this, the media outlet which published her death certificate still led the article with the headline “Pancreatic Cancer”. Exactly the same thing happened with Steve Jobs and a few others. And that’s only the ones we know about – how many other pe0ple are being labelled and documented with the wrong cancer type?

I cannot read the minds of the healthcare professionals and media when they compile their press releases and articles but I’m fairly certain they simply do not understand that Neuroendocrine Cancer is a cancer within its own right and is not a type of another cancer. They simply do not understand the term ‘Neuroendocrine’ and they think the readership won’t either, and so it’s probably easer just to leave that bit out. The result is that a person has, or dies with, is labelled with the wrong cancer type, which is then published and embedded into the annals of the internet and spreads like wildfire (fake news), and Neuroendocrine Cancer is once again robbed of much needed awareness. Our community needs to start focusing more on these types of awareness issues rather than continually flaunting pictures of black and white striped animals.

I’m even starting to think that the well known term used in Neuroendocrine Cancer circles, ‘Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor’ or pNET for short, is actually working against us because of the inclusion of the organ as the first word of the term. Going forward, I will be using Neuroendocrine Cancer with a pancreatic primary, etc.

On 16th AUG 2018, Publicist Gwendolyn Quinn tells The Associated Press through a family statement that Franklin passed at her home in Detroit. The statement said “Franklin’s official cause of death was due to advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, which was confirmed by Franklin’s oncologist, Dr. Philip Phillips of Karmanos Cancer Institute” in Detroit.

There are huge differences between Pancreatic Cancer and Neuroendocrine Cancer with a pancreatic primary – click here to read more.

Clearly he meant Neuroendocrine Cancer with a pancreatic primary. However, in the fast moving social media world, this is what has gone out with the lazier writers and editors abbreviating it to just Pancreatic Cancer, perhaps because they didn’t see the relevance of the word Neuroendocrine or they didn’t want to confuse the issue. All of these incorrect posts will now be embedded in the bowels of the internet and used for years to come by those writing about the Queen of Soul. We in the Neuroendocrine community now have a much harder task because the press releases and her doctor did not articulate the type of disease correctly. The same thing happened in 2011 with Steve Jobs. It is considerably frustrating for the Neuroendocrine Cancer community.

However, a celebrity news outlet called TMZ has managed to obtain and publish a copy of her death certificate – you can read their article and see the death certificate by clicking here. It clearly states “Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Cancer”. This is a contextually significant statement compared to the version of the original cause of death given by her physician and which went viral on the internet inferring that it was Pancreatic Cancer. Annoyingly, even though they managed to obtain a copy of the certificate, their headline still said Pancreatic Cancer (read the TMZ article here) – please feel free to comment on their site or email the TMZ contact here – eric.page@kcrg.com

I commented as follows: Wrong headline. The certificate clearly states pancreatic “Neuroendocrine Cancer” – a totally different type of cancer, different symptoms, different prognostics, different treatment, different problems. Huge error. Will you be updating it?

They did not update it.

Interestingly the press have been saying Pancreatic Cancer since 2010 despite Aretha keeping her condition private, However, she came out in 2011 by releasing a statementsaying she didn’t understand where ‘Pancreatic Cancer’ came from.

I suspect she knew then it was Neuroendocrine Cancer, obviously from the fact that her doctor told her the surgery would give her another 15-20 years of life – that is certainly not a prognosis you would get with Pancreatic Cancer.

A summary of her cancer experience since 2010 can be found here – not too detailed but useful background. She had major surgery on December 2nd 2010 (sounds like Whipples?). She wasn’t in good health at diagnosis, with media reports of years of chain smoking, alcoholism, obesity and crash-dieting. She was also diabetic for some year prior to cancer diagnosis.

In one of the better articles from Forbes, they actually stated some words which resonate with the Neuroendocrine Cancer community (see graphic below) – however, the remainder of the article then goes onto to talk about Pancreatic Cancer and not Neuroendocrine Cancer so we lost a massive awareness activity due to the fixation and assumptions with anatomy.

THE HUMAN ANATOMY PROBLEM WITH NEUROENDOCRINE CANCER STRIKES AGAIN. Read about other errors with celebrities by clicking here.

Why do these mistakes happen?

The Human Anatomy vs cancer type even confuses so called respectable and authoritative cancer organisations. Big hitter organisations such as the American Cancer Society and the US National Cancer Institute fail to list an A to Z list of cancer with Neuroendocrine Tumors / Neoplasms / Cancer / Carcinoma under the letter ‘N’. Instead you can find Gastrointestinal Carcinoid (a term now at least 8 years out of date) and pancreatic and lung NETs under Pancreatic Cancer and Lung Cancer respectively, I’m sure there are other issues. I have contacted these organisations in the past and hinted there should be a standalone and grouped entry under ‘N’ but this has been totally ignored to date. While many news outlets have reacted to the rather flimsy and misleading statement coming from the family quoting Aretha’s physician’s words “Pancreatic Cancer of the neuroendocrine type”, medical writers will also take to the internet to research and will find the two ‘big hitter’ websites above and bingo. To a certain extent I see these issues more in USA than in any other country.

But in the meantime, please note that at least one big cancer organisation looking for changes to the way they display information on NETs as a result of Aretha (read it here) and some credit is due to Chris Nashville Lozina who many of you may know. However, action speaks louder than words and I will be monitoring their website to see if they actually make the changes they used to jump on the Aretha bandwagon. It should not be left to patients to do the running here – US NET patient advocate organisations must do more and must do it publicly.

The physician who quoted the cause of death which then went viral on the internet didn’t really do Neuroendocrine Cancer any favours – although we should credit him for leaving the word Neuroendocrine in there. That said, many lazy article writers and media have omitted the word not realising the significance of its meaning, not realising they were then quoting a totally different cancer. Interestingly her death certificated stated PANCREATIC NEUROENDOCRINE CANCER – that would have been a much better press release.

Some patients are suggesting she has “Carcinoid” but not only is that way off beam, it’s using a term which has been abandoned and is not really good PR for us. In some ways, the ‘C word’ is causing these issues as many physicians make a demarcation line between ‘carcinoid’ and other types of NET associated with one part of the anatomy.

We must stop saying that Neuroendocrine Cancer with a pancreatic primary is a type of Pancreatic Cancer. I think everyone agrees they are different but the KEY POINT is saying or not saying they are a type of Pancreatic Cancer. Saying they are a type of Pancreatic Cancer is not only playing into the hands of Pancreatic Cancer organisations who want to claim the famous icons and their potential fundraising opportunities, but potentially a betrayal of Neuroendocrine Cancer awareness. Only my view though of course.

I will update this article as new information comes out n due course but in the meantime please share using “Neuroendocrine Cancer” as there is much misinformation being spread

I’ve seen the term ‘Cancer Olympics’ many times on my social media travels, it’s been used in several contexts. For example, my friend Dr Robin McGee uses it to describe her ordeal with late stage bowel cancer and judging by the cover of her book, the analogy is the hurdles she had to jump to get the right treatment (many of you will relate to that).

Another example I see is the race to claim a cancer is somehow ‘worse’ than other cancers, i.e. ‘my cancer is far worse than yours’. Ironically, although some cancers are almost certainly worse than others (for example in prognostic terms), it seems like a race to the bottom as patients fight for the ‘top’ spot. It works both ways as some people perceive they have had or are having a better cancer experience than others, and that can often lead to a sense of guilt, i.e. ‘your cancer is much worse than mine, I shouldn’t really complain too much’.

It can be normal to experience these emotions, and with such wide and varying cancer experiences, different personal circumstances, even (say) the worst stages and grades cannot always be used to justify the ‘gold medal’ position in this ironic version of cancer Olympics. Take my Neuroendocrine Cancer for example, I have the highest stage but an intermediate grade, so my sub type is not particularly aggressive in comparison with other cancers or even other sub-types of my own cancer. However,in many ways it’s a deceiving and silent disease and very often people are not diagnosed until a late stage where the disease becomes incurable. Prognostics for many sub-types are good but living with the disease has many consequences. This sounds like a bad deal and for some it can be. But don’t tell me I have a ‘good’ cancer. Neuroendocrine Cancer does have aggressive types with significantly different prognostic outcomes than the more common and less aggressive variants.

So let’s turn my personal cancer Olympics analogy round the other way. Let’s say you have a very aggressive cancer with terrible and frightening prognostic statistics. I would certainly not criticise anyone or accuse them of deliberately playing a cancer Olympics ‘game’ for suggesting they wished they had another cancer in this scenario.

I want to focus an example on Pancreatic Cancer, an awful cancer with awful prognostic outcomes. Using UK statistics, less than 7% of patients survive 5 years, it has the worst survival rate of all 22 common cancers. The headline and key awareness and campaigning message is that these prognostics have not changed much in 40 years. There are similar statistics in many countries. Pancreatic Cancer organisations worldwide are therefore campaigning robustly for more resources and funding to tackle and improve these statistics through more research and clinical trials. They are also doing what they can with their own prevention and early diagnosis campaigns with limited funding. With this particular disease, given the survival statistics, awareness is vital and it can save lives, one of the reasons I regularly publish Pancreatic Cancer symptoms.

One of the most compelling, bold and disruptive (in the context of shaking things up) campaigns I’ve seen, is the ‘I wish I had another cancer’ campaign from a UK-based Pancreatic Cancer organisation. It certainly caused a storm, making it to billboards in many towns, London underground adverts, several national newspapers and appearances on national TV. One broadcaster named it the ‘Envy’ campaign.

RIP Andy Luck

Many supporters of the ‘other’ named cancers reacted as you would expect, with criticism and it came from many parts of the world. In UK, there were many complaints made but the UK Advertising Standards Authority rejected these and refused to ban the adverts. Read some of the fallout by clicking here. The UK-based Pancreatic Cancer organisation later issued a statement saying ‘no cancer advert that saves a single life can be accused of going too far‘. Two of the three patients in the controversial adverts have since died, in fact these tragic and heartbreaking events both came not long after the advertising campaign was launched.

Penny Lown

Kerry Harveywas always the face of this campaign although the other two messages are equally powerful. Kerry would have been 29 on 14th August 2018. RIP Kerry. Read her diagnosis and treatment story by clicking here and here. Neuroendocrine Cancer.

RIP Kerry Harvey

Clearly I would rather not be diagnosed with any cancer. But if I was to be brutally honest, I’m glad I wasn’t diagnosed with a more aggressive disease, otherwise I might not be here now enjoying life with my family.

You may also be interested in this article – Pancreatic Cancer vs Neuroendocrine Cancer with a pancreatic primary. Click here to read.

Thanks for listening

Ronny

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After 7 years of avoiding pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), I finally asked for some on a trial basis. To be honest, for some time, I thought they were really only needed in the NET world for those with pancreatic issues (pNETs). I’ve always known I’ve had some digestive issues related to malabsorption. However, I’m not losing weight – this has been stable for some years. Plus my key vitamin levels (B12 and D) are in range. However, I’ve been struggling with a lot of bloating issues in the last couple of months, thus the trial. You know me, I like to research and analyse such things! I’ve actually written about a lot of these issues in my Nutrition series ….. so this is now ‘Article Number 5’.

Crash Course.We eat food, but our digestive system doesn’t absorb food, it absorbs nutrients. Food has to be broken down from things like steak and broccoli into its nutrient pieces: amino acids (from proteins), fatty acids and cholesterol (from fats), and simple sugars (from carbohydrates), as well as vitamins, minerals, and a variety of other plant and animal compounds. Digestive enzymes, primarily produced in the pancreas and small intestine, break down our food into nutrients so that our bodies can absorb them.

Background

Some of the common symptoms of NETs are gas, bloating, cramping and abdominal pain and the root cause of these issues can sometimes be as a result of insufficient ‘digestive’ enzymes. They are primarily produced in the pancreas (an exocrine function) and the small intestine but also in the saliva glands and the stomach. This post will focus on pancreas and to a certain extent, the small intestine. There are actually some key tell-tale signs of a pancreatic enzyme deficiency, such as steatorrhoea which is described as an excess of fat in faeces, the stool may float due to trapped air, the stool can be pale in colour, may be foul-smelling, and you may also notice droplets of oil or a ‘slick’ in the toilet pan. Steatorrhoea is mainly (but not always) due to malabsorption of fat from the diet and this can actually be caused or made worse by somatostatin analogues which are known to inhibit the supply of pancreatic enzymes. Of course if fat is not being absorbed, then the key nutrients your body needs to function properly might not be either. The signs from that might not be so noticeable but can be even more problematic over time. Please see Article 1.

Those who have had surgery, in particular, in GI tract/digestive system, are at risk of malabsorption; as are those prescribed somatostatin analogues (Lanreotide/Octreotide) as these drugs can inhibit digestive enzymes, causing or adding to the malabsorption effect. For those who need to read more, see Article 2.

One way to combat these issues when they are caused by pancreatic insufficiency is with Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT) which can mimic the normal digestive process. However, this is not the whole story as there could be numerous reasons for these issues, perhaps even some which are unrelated to NETs. If you are in doubt about whether you suffer from malabsorption and/or any form of digestive enzyme insufficiency, you should consult your doctors.

Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy

Many NET patients succumb to malabsorption due to pancreatic insufficiency and are prescribed Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy, or PERT for short. There are various brands available (e.g. Creon®, Nutrizym®, Pancrease HL® or Pancrex®). Most are in capsule form in various doses.

How does PERT work? Most people experiencing the issues above are going to benefit from a multiple-enzyme replacement which tend to include the key ones such as:

The dose sizes tend to be based on the amount of lipase, i.e. a 25,000 strength would mean 25,000 units of lipase and (normally) a lesser amount of amylase and protease (it is with Creon). The entire mix of enzymes may be given a name, in my case it’s ‘Pancreatin’. You will be given a number of capsules to be used from your prescribing doctor.

The pancreatic enzyme capsule is swallowed along with food and digests food as they pass through the gut. If your capsules contain an enteric coat or enteric coated granules (delayed release), they should not be affected by stomach acid. The replacement enzymes will help to break down food allowing the nutrients to be absorbed beyond the stomach (i.e. in the small intestine). Do not be alarmed at the dose sizes, a healthy pancreas will release about 720,000 lipase units during every meal!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When I first started taking the supplements, I thought of numerous questions, many of which I could not find definitive answers to! Different sites say different (and contradictory) things. Clearly, you should always consult your prescribing doctor and the medicine patient information leaflet. That said, I found the patient information leaflet which came with the capsules is just not detailed enough for an inquisitive patient such as myself!

I always like to refer to best practice which is why I’ve consulted one of the top NET Dietitians, Tara Whyand of Royal Free London. She agreed to an online Q&A session on 28 Feb 2018. This took place on my private Facebook group click here or search Facebook for this group “Neuroendocrine Cancer – Ronny Allan’s Group“. Join, answer some simple questions and then your application will be processed.

The output from the online with with Tara Whyand is below:

Thanks for attending the online event. Here is a tidy summary of the many comments. I hope this is also useful for those who were unable to attend.

Why would I need PERT and are there any tests that can be done to validate this?

“Somatostatin analogues, pancreatic surgery, pancreatitis and cystic fibrosis can cause exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). This means that the pancreas does not produce enough enzymes to break down food. It results in fatty loose stools called steatorrhoea.

Patients who have exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) require PERT (pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy) to break down food (fat, protein and carbohydrate). There are many brands of pancreatic enzymes, the most commonly used are Creon and Nutrizyme. Both have different dose levels to choose from.

The fecal elastase test was traditionally used to test the function of the pancreas, although it may not be that useful in NETs. This is because a NET team in Wales found that some NET patients who reported steatorrhoea had a false negative result.

Steatorrhoea may also be a result of bile acid malabsorption and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth which can co-exist and are common especially after surgery. They can both be tested for at a hospital.”

Supplementary Questions:

1a. Would the treatment be different for both EPI and bile acid malabsorption? If not how different?

“Yes BAM requires bile acid sequestrants rather than PERT”.

1b. would this be something you would take in general to help overall digestion and absorption of nutrients?

“No only if you have reasons for EPI to occur”.

PERT dosage. Is there a set dosage for all patients or does it depend on type of NET or surgery? And can I overdose on PERT?

“It depends on what you eat. PERT dose is normally tailored on fat content (the more fat you have, the more enzymes you need), but patients who have had a total pancreatectomy will have to have PERT for all food and drink (apart from water) as carbohydrate and protein needs to be broken down too.”

Supplementary Questions

2a. “What about when taking medication such as Cholesteramine or pills in the morning and evening. Do I need to take it to absorb these?”

“see question 5”.

2b. I had a total pancreatectomy and was told I do not need PERT for fruit and veg?

“there’s carbs in all fruit and veg and often fat and protein too, so no different really.”

Some sources say to take the capsules at the beginning of a meal, some say it’s also at the end of a meal is also OK. How critical is this?

“You must always take the capsules at the beginning of the meal and if the meal goes on longer than ~30 minutes, or there are several courses, you will need to have another capsule/tablet/scoop of enzymes. If you don’t, food will pass by the pancreas undigested and ‘malabsorption occurs. This leads to fatty stools (steatorrhoea), fat soluble vitamin deficiency and weight loss. Unbroken down food can also feed bacteria and you can develop small intestinal bacterial overgrowth as a result.”

Supplementary Questions

3a. so if my oncologist says to take four capsules per meal, then I should take all four at the same time?

“see question 11”

3b. if you have had a total gastrectomy (total removal of the stomach), is there a different procedure for taking PERT? I am on Creon and have heard that perhaps I need to open up the capsules as I can not break down the gelatin casing. Not sure if this is true or not.

“See question 11”

What is a meal? Is it multiple courses, or is there a strategy for each individual course? What about snacks? (i.e. a single biscuit with a cup of tea)

“The standard starting dose for snacks: 22-25,000 units lipase, titrating up when symptoms have not resolved. Most people end up taking 44,000-50,000 for snacks.

For main meals start on 44,000/50,000 and most people will need 66,000-100,000 units lipase/meal for the long term.”

Supplementary Questions:

4a. I have to eat multiple small meals a day (like every 3 hours, so 7 to 8 small meals). Is there a limit on the amount of Creon I can take in a day?

“see question 11”

4b. What is a snack?

“No official definition. Something with a little fat and maybe 50-200kcals.

Are there any problems taking PERT at the same time as other drugs? e.g. I like to take my vitamin supplements with food. And it’s recommended that some drugs be taken with food.

“PERT only breaks down food, but it is important to take your PERT to ensure food and drugs are absorbed. If you do not take you PERT with the meal, it is likely that food and drugs will rush through your bowel without being absorbed. There is no problem taking vitamins and minerals with food and PERT.

Supplementary Questions:

5a. I take a probiotic also, when is best time to take this, before, during or after food?

“Timing doesn’t matter”

I heard PERT is a porcine produce but I’m a vegan? Is there anything else for me?

“There are no other recommended products, and you should only have prescription PERT’s. This is for safety and reliability. Other off the shelf enzymes are unlikely to work.

Pigs are not slaughtered for PERT, they are slaughtered for meat and enzymes are a by-product if that makes anyone feel more comfortable with the idea.”

I heard PERT is a porcine produce but my religion does not allow me to eat such produces. Is there anything else for me?

“PERT are only sourced from a pigs pancreas but Jewish and Muslim patients have been granted approval to take the enzymes on medical grounds from their religious leaders because there is no alternative.”

Some doctors are prescribing PPIs along with PERT claiming that they help the PERT do the job. Do you have a view on this and are there any general diet tips to support the job of PERT without resorting to other drugs?

“Yes if you have had a whipples operation or you have acid reflux you must take an anti-acid (proton-pump inhibitor-PPI) drug to reduce the acid level. If left untreated it can cause ulcers, and when they bleed it can sometimes lead to a life threatening situation. PERT are gastro-resistant-they do not work in too high an acid environment. Sometimes a PPI / H2 blocker can decrease the acid level and allow the PERT to work better. There is no other reliable way of reducing stomach acid.

Note: Ronny Allan input that there is information published about the over-subscribing of PPI for long term use. Additionally that some NET specialists are suggesting a preference for H2 Blockers rather than PPI for NET Patients. H2 Receptor Blockers include Nizatidine (Axid), Famotidine (Pepcid, Pepcid AC), Cimetidine (Tagamet, Tagamet HB), Ranitidine (Zantac). The exceptions would be for PPI therapy necessary for Barrett’s Esophagus and Zollinger Ellison Syndrome (Gastrinoma). Details to follow.

Supplementary Questions:

8a. I had a whipples two and a half years ago and have recently stopped taking omperazole as I didn’t seem to need them. Do you think I should still be taking something to reduce acid level anyway?

“yep think you should be on Ranitadine or a PPI long term.”

8b. Is it possible to suffer from excess acid without even knowing it? I also take probiotics, is it possible they could be minimising any excess acid? Also, I seem to be able to eat whatever I want without consequence but am worried now in case I am doing wrong and storing up trouble for myself.

“yes you can have silent reflux but after a total pancreatectomy you needs lots of adjustments and insulin dosing advice.”

How will I know the PERT is working for me? And are there any tests to validate this?

“You will know if your PERT is working well if your symptoms improve – i.e. you get normal (mid brown and formed) stools.

Patients taking enough PERT will not become fat soluble vitamin deficient or lose weight in the long term.

You could do a fecal elastase test (if stools are not liquid), but this is not a very reliable test especially for patients with NETs.

If symptoms do not resolve entirely, there may be a co-existing cause of malabsorption e.g. bile acid malabsorption or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.”

Supplementary Questions:

9a. With regards to Question 9, how would you know if you have bile acid malabsorption or SIBO? Can you be tested for those?

“If PERT doesn’t resolve things, SIBO testing is another thing to look at using a lactulose drink and hydrogen breath test. If the NET is in the terminal ileum, bile acid malabsorption (BAM) is likely. The test is a SeHCAT scan and treatment usually Questran or Colesevelam.

If I need to stop taking PERT, do I just stop or do I need to taper off consumption over time?

“No, just stop. But only do so if it has caused a side effect and report the reaction to the doctor and pharmaceutical company. If you don’t think they are working, speak with a specialist Dietitian and you may need a PPI or H2 blocker or change brand/dose.”

If someone has had a total gastrectomy, can they take Creon? If so, do they need to open up the pill to remove the gelatin to help the enzymes to work?

“They are to be taken as normally directed. You can open capsules but only into an acidic fruit juice (a pH of 4.5 or below) and swallow immediately. It could be argued that PERT will work most easily in patients having a gastrectomy as you cannot get too high a stomach acid level without stomach P-cells. By the way, shouldn’t be any gelatin in the prescribed PERT”

Supplementary Questions:

11a. Are there any problems with taking too much in a day? I have to have 7 to 8 meals (minimum). I am losing weight. Take with every snack and meal?

“You can overdose – for Creon this is 6000 units lipase per kg of body weight. If you are still losing weight, PERT is not working or something else is the cause of malabsorption”

SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS AT THE END

12A. My steatorrhoea only occurs once/twice a month. Is PERT indicated if steatorrhoea is not chronic?

“Yes, probably need to take all month as steatorrhoea is only a sign of extreme malabsorption, small amounts of malabsorption aren’t noticeable visibly but will reflect in weight and blood vitamin levels.”

12B. I do not need Creon as I am a Lung NET; although I have had my gall bladder removed.

“May need PERT if on somatostatin analogues. Some people take a bile acid sequestrants after gall bladder removal. PERT won’t work for that.”

Summary

I’ve always known about issues such as steatorrhoea and vitamin/mineral deficiency. My weight is fine but very happy to trial PERT to see the differences. I made a mistake of starting the capsules on Dec 23rd just before Christmas – it made for an interesting week! Early days so far but I’m getting used to taking them (and remembering to take them ….). Still seeing signs of steatorrhoea but am tracking this against diet, No change to stool frequency. I would appear to be belching more though! I will keep this post live as I learn more.

You may wish to see the output from an online chat I carried out, the link is above.

Almost every day I see something in my news feed about Neuroendocrine Cancer …. an article, a tweet, a blog post, a subscription, an alert of some kind. Certain ones catch my eye and then something in the detail leads me to disappointment at the realisation I’d not be able to share the information because of a major flaw. A common flaw is the failure to recognise that Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (Carcinomas and Tumors) can be found in numerous SITES in the human anatomy. The latest article I read about Steve Jobs was a good read until I noticed it was actually about Pancreatic Cancer and inferred that a pancreatic NET was a subtype of Pancreatic Cancer. I spend a lot of time supporting Pancreatic Cancer because they really need the support, but we do too. The latest celebrity death, Aretha Franklin, has not helped Neuroendocrine Cancer in an awareness sense. There are huge differences between Pancreatic Cancer and Neuroendocrine Cancer with a pancreatic primary – click here to read more.

Of course, there is a trend with famous NET patients being labelled with something else and I outlined this issue in my post “The Human Anatomy of Neuroendocrine Cancer” which already has over 20,000 hits. We need to keep clawing back some of that lost awareness. And we need to continue to emphasise that Neuroendocrine Cancer is NOT a type of another cancer PERIOD. Click here and share please!

I once told a story in a post called “Neuroendocrine – what’s that?“, about my own experience in communicating the details of my condition. To cut a long story short, as soon as I mention my primary SITE was in the ‘intestine’, people assume I have some kind of bowel cancer. Cue – a careful explanation which doubles up as awareness.

Our situation is not helped by many ‘big hitter’ cancer organisations, who mostly tend to list cancers by anatomical SITE, nearly always in alphabetical order. Many of them then add Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Pancreas, Lung, Appendix, to the description for Pancreatic, Lung and Appendiceal Cancer sections respectively, i.e. inferring that they are subtypes of those cancers. I get the reason for the anatomical listing but system wide cancers also need be included, i.e. Neuroendocrine disease should be listed as an entity under N. Which bit of “Neuroendocrine tumors can occur anywhere in the body” is not understood! It is a cancer in its own right, with its own medical coding, its own classification system, its own specialists and specialist centres. It’s not a type of another cancer! That said, you can often find the misnomer term ‘Carcinoid’ listed under ‘C‘ and that is part of the image and awareness problem that results when the correct nomenclature is not used, or, as is the case with many organisations, their sites are not kept up to date.

I once wrote a blog using a title inspired by a patient comment – “The little suckers get everywhere”. This was an early attempt by me to define all the locations I had gathered in from patient comments on my Facebook site. Did I miss any? Please let me know!

Another interesting feature of certain types of Neuroendocrine Cancer is multiple primaries. It’s not uncommon to have multiple primary tumours but they do tend to be in the same organ or site. However, certain uncommon types of Neuroendocrine Cancer such as Pheochromoctyomas/Paragangliomas (including hereditary versions) there can multiple primaries at different sites. Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN) are a group of disorders (hereditary syndromes) that affect the endocrine system. The disease typically involves Neuroendocrine Tumors in multiple endocrine glands and may cause the glands to become overactive and overproduce hormones.

Clearly we need to ‘raise our sites’and shout louder! My name is Ronny Allan and I have a Neuroendocrine Cancer with a Small Intestinal Primary. I do not have Bowel Cancer!

There’s a lot of inaccurate and out of date information out there. Some of it is propaganda but most is a combination of misunderstanding and patient forum myth spreading …….

Myth 1: All Neuroendocrine Tumours are benign

Not true. By any scientific definition, the word ‘tumour’ means ‘an abnormal mass of tissue that results when cells divide more than they should or do not die when they should. Tumours may be benign (not cancerous), or malignant (cancerous)’. Sure, some NETs will be benign. However, The World Health Organisation (WHO) 2010 classification for digestive system is based on the concept that all NETs have malignant potential, and has therefore abandoned the division into benign and malignant NETs and tumours of uncertain malignant potential. This has been reinforced in the 2017 update to include clarification for other endocrine organ types of NET including Pheochromocytoma. Read more here. The word ‘Carcinoid’ is inextricably linked with this issue – read here why we need to stop using the term to help fight the benign myth.

Myth 2: Neuroendocrine Tumours is a terminal condition

Not true. By any definition of the word terminal in a medical diagnostic context, most NET patients have a good prognostic outlook, even those with metastatic and incurable variants of the disease. Read more here.

Graphic courtesy of Ellie McDowell

Myth 3: Carcinoid is another word for Neuroendocrine Tumours

Not true. Carcinoid is a very old term and was phased out years ago. Carcinoid is not mentioned in the latest WHO Classification schemes for Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (a term covering Neuroendocrine Tumours and Neuroendocrine Carcinoma). Unfortunately, the problem is exacerbated by organisations and individuals who still use the word. Also, those who use the following terms:

“Carcinoid Neuroendocrine”,

“Neuroendocrine Carcinoid”,

“Carcinoid and Neuroendocrine”,

“Neuroendocrine and Carcinoid”,

“Carcinoid NETs” or “CNET”

These are all contextually incorrect and misleading terms (not to mention the bad grammar). ENETS, NANETS and NCCN publications are gradually phasing the word out except in relation to Carcinoid Syndrome (and even then there could be easy solutions for this). Read more here and here.

Myth 4: All NET patients get ‘carcinoid syndrome’

Not true. Firstly, many NET cancers are non-functional; and secondly, carcinoid syndrome is only one of a number of “NET Syndromes” associated with the various types of NET. However, the issue is further confused by those who use the word ‘Carcinoid‘ to incorrectly refer to all NETs and use Carcinoid Syndrome to refer to all NET Syndromes. Read more here.

Myth 5: Neuroendocrine Neolasms are rare

Myth 6: Steve Jobs had Pancreatic Cancer

Not true. Steve Jobs had a Neuroendocrine Tumour of the Pancreas. Ditto for a few other famous names. Read more here.

The last few years have reminded me that life is fragile

Myth 7: I’m not getting chemotherapy, I must be doing OK?

Not true. For some cancers or some sub-types of cancers, although it remains an option, chemotherapy is not particularly effective, e.g. some types of Neuroendocrine Cancer (NETs). In general, well differentiated NETs do not normally show a high degree of sensitivity to chemotherapy, although some primary locations fare better than others. However, many of the treatments for NET Cancer are somewhat harsh, have long-term consequences, and have no visible effects. NET patients are often said to “look well” but that doesn’t mean they are not struggling behind the scenes or under the surface. Read more here. P.S. Afinitor (Everolimus), Sutent (Sunitinib) are not chemo – Read more here.

Myth 8: All diarrhea is caused by carcinoid syndrome

Not true. It could be one of the other syndromes or tumor types or a side effect of your treatment. Check out this post.

Myth 9: Neuroendocrine Tumours is a ‘good cancer’

Not true. Simply, no cancer is good. Some are statistically worse than others in prognostic terms, that’s true…… but living with NETs is very often not a walk in the park. However, no one cancer is better to get than any other – they’re all bad. Read more here.

Myth 10: Every NET Patient was misdiagnosed for years

Not true. Many NET Patients are correctly diagnosed early on in their investigation and in a reasonable time. This myth is perpetuated because of two things: firstly, on forums, the ratio of long-term misdiagnosis is high creating a false perception; and secondly, the method of capturing patient surveys is not extensive enough – again creating a false perception. In fact, the latest and largest database analysis from US indicates earlier diagnosis is improving, with more and more NETs being picked up at an early stage. Read more here.

Myth 11: Somatostatin Analogues are a type of Chemotherapy

Not true. Somatostatin Analogues (e.g. Octreotide and Lanreotide) are not chemotherapy, they are hormone inhibiting drugs. They are more biotherapy. As the drugs latch onto somatostatin receptors, they are more targeted than systemic. For the record, Everolimus (Afinitor) and Sunitinib (Sutent) are not chemotherapy either. Read more here.

Not true. This is a common misunderstanding within the community. They both had Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP). Read more about PMP here.

Myth 13: I’ve been diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Tumours – my life is over

Not true. Many patients live a very long time and lead fairly normal lives with the right treatment and support. It’s difficult but I try not to use ‘I can’t’ too much. Read more here.

Myth 14: There are only a handful of Neuroendocrine specialists in the world

Not true. There are many specialists in many countries. Get links to specialists by clicking here.

Myth 15: The Ga68 PET scan is replacing the CT and MRI scan in routine surveillance for all NET Patients

Not true. It is actually replacing the Octreotide Scan for particular purposes, or will eventually. Read more by clicking here.

Myth 16: All NET Patients are Zebras

Not true. They are in fact human beings and we should treat them as such. Please don’t call me a zebra and please don’t use the term on my social media sites, I refuse to perpetuate this outdated dogma.

Not true. Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia are syndromes and inherited disorders. You can have MEN and not have any tumours. However, these disorders can put people at more risk of developing Neuroendocrine or Endocrine Tumours. Read morehere

Myth 18: Palliative Care means end of life or hospice care

Not true. Palliative care is specialized medical care that focuses on providing patients relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness. A multidisciplinary care team aims to improve quality of life for people who have serious or life-threatening illnesses, no matter the diagnosis or stage of disease. Read more here

Myth 19: Serotonin is found in foods

Myth 20: NETs cannot be cured

Not true. If caught early enough, some NETs can be treated with curative intent (totally resected) with little or no further follow up. It says this in ENETS and NANETS publications which are authored by our top specialists. If we can’t believe them, who can we believe? Read more here.

An Endoscopy is a procedure where the inside of your body is examined using an instrument called an endoscope. This is a long, thin, flexible tube that has a light source and camera at one end. Images of the inside of your body are relayed to a television screen. Endoscopes can be inserted into the body through a natural opening, such as the mouth and down the throat, or through the bottom. The mouth route is more accurately called a Gastroscopy and the anal route is called a Colonoscopy (or a reduced version called a Sigmoidoscopy). An endoscope can also be inserted through a small cut (incision) made in the skin when keyhole surgery is being carried out.

Gastroscopy

During a routine 6 monthly check-up at the end of 2016, I mentioned to my Oncologist that I was experiencing what appeared to be very minor heartburn and that it was an unusual symptom for me. He called forward my annual Echocardiogramand also ordered up a Gastroscopy.

I received the Gastroscopy paperwork from the hospital for an appointment on 26 Jan 2017. It offered an option for sedation, either a throat spray to numb the area or a sedative where I would probably not know what was going on. My initial thought was the latter even though it meant a longer visit to the hospital with some other constraints. It also meant I would need to check the sedation to assess the risk of NET Crisis. However, having discussed this issue with the department nurse, I was persuaded to go for the throat spray – apparently 80% of people opt for this method. I just couldn’t resist the statistical challenge! There were many advantages to selecting this option including getting rid of the sedation risk, plus I could walk out of the hospital immediately after the 5 minute procedure. The sedation option meant that I would need to remain in the hospital for an extra hour to recover, not drive for 24 hours and be supervised by an adult for 12 hours.

I was really put at ease by all 4 people in the room, two nurses, an endoscopic expert and a technician. However, the procedure itself is not what I would call a ‘breeze’. The throat spray was disgusting and said to taste of rotten bananas but personally I thought it was more like rotten fish! For the first 60 seconds (total guess) I found myself wishing I had gone for the sedation but the next minute was better after I had stopped ‘gagging’ and was now breathing fairly normally. I found swallowing easy despite the tube and a nurse was also extracting excess saliva using a similar tool used in a dental procedure. I was also aware that my eyes were watering! The natural reaction of ‘gagging’ came back at least once but only for a second or two. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t scary at the time.

The procedure seemed to be in parts, he checked the oesophagus, pumped air into my stomach for a better view, sprayed some water (not sure why), took a peek in the duodenum which required an extra swallow from me, using another tool, he took a painless routine sample from the stomach lining to test for CLO (Helicobacter Pylori – a bacterium in the lining of the stomach that can cause peptic ulcers), extracted the air, and then the extraction of the endoscope out from the gastrointestinal tract. These endoscopes really are like swiss army knives!

The best bit was the extraction! The other best bit was when he told me there were no real issues. So it was all worth it in the end! If anyone wants a copy of my comprehensive and easy to read 6 page Gastroscopy guide, let me know.

Colonoscopy

The other main type of Endoscopy is the Colonoscopy which enters the gastrointestinal tract in the opposite direction. I’ve had actually both a Gastroscopy and Colonoscopy before in 2008 before I was diagnosed. I offered the mandatory request to do the endoscopy first if using the same scope 🙂 He’d heard it before! On this occasion I was fully sedated. One minute I was talking to the Gastroenterologist, then the next thing I remember was waking up, job done. Less stressful but more time intensive. That said, the preparation for the colonoscopy is no joke. You can read about this in my blog Colonoscopy Comedywhich also includes a light-hearted story about the preparation phase. If you need a laugh, this is really funny.

Although I have not had these, for completeness, I want to mention several associated procedures.

Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS)

The head of the Pancreas on the left surrounded by the duodenum, stomach to the right

For patients who have, or who are suspected of having pancreatic disease, their doctor may recommend that they undergo a type of procedure called an endoscopic ultrasound, or more often known as EUS. An EUS is a type of endoscopic examination. The EUS is a scan rather than a camera but a camera attachment will be used at some point, perhaps to do additional checks on the way (endoscopic equipment is quite advanced and reminds me of Swiss army knives). It involves the insertion of a thin tube into the mouth and down into the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. At the tip of the tube is a small ultrasound probe that emits sound waves. These sound waves bounce off of the surrounding structures, such as the stomach, small intestine, pancreas, bile ducts, and liver. These sound waves are then recaptured by the probe and converted into black and white images that are then interpreted by your doctor. Because the pancreas sits next to the stomach and small intestine, EUS allows the physician to get very detailed images of the pancreas. This procedure is typically performed in an outpatient setting, and usually takes between 20 and 45 minutes. One of the advantages of performing an EUS is that pancreatic biopsies can be obtained at the time of the examination. These biopsies, often referred to as FNA, or fine-needle aspiration, can allow for your physician to collect tissue samples which can later be analysed under a microscope. Special needles, designed to be used with the EUS scope, allow the physician to insert a small needle through the wall of the stomach or intestine directly into the pancreas. This video explains better: Click here.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)

ERCP is performed on an outpatient basis under sedation (rarely under general anesthesia). Using a “side-viewing” endoscope, called a duodenoscope, the duodenal “papilla”-(a mound-like structure that houses the opening of the common bile duct and the pancreatic duct)- is identified and manipulated. These areas can be examined and x-ray taken of the pancreatic duct, hepatic duct, common bile duct, duodenal papilla, and gallbladder.The endoscope is passed through the mouth and down into the first part of the small intestine (duodenum). A smaller tube (catheter) is then inserted through the endoscope into the bile and pancreatic ducts. A dye is injected through the catheter into the ducts, and an x-ray is taken. Also called ERCP.

Capsule Endoscopy (camera pill)

“Camera Pill”

Shortly after I was diagnosed, this was mentioned as an option for me as my diagnostic scans were just showing a “mass” and it wasnt 100% clear where my primary tumour was located. It didn’t happen in the end. Capsule Endoscopy involves swallowing a small capsule (the size of the large vitamin pill). The ‘cam-pill’ contains a colour camera, battery, light source and transmitter. The camera takes two pictures every second for eight hours, transmitting images to a data recorder about the size of a portable CD player that patients wear around the waist.

Capsule endoscopy assists in diagnosing gastrointestinal conditions in the small bowel such as: bleeding, malabsorption, chronic abdominal pain, and chronic diarrhoea. Once swallowed the camera moves naturally through the digestive tract. Approximately eight hours after ingesting the camera, patients return to the Endoscopy Unit where the recording device is removed by the nurse, the images are downloaded to a computer and evaluated. The Capsule is disposable and will be passed naturally in the bowel movement.

Sigmoidoscopy

A flexible sigmoidoscopy is a procedure that is used to look inside the rectum (back passage) and lower part of your large bowel (descending colon) and so is like an abbreviated version of a colonoscopy.

Bronchoscopy

Bronchoscopy is a procedure that allows the doctor to examine your trachea (windpipe), bronchi (branches of the airway) and some areas of the lung. A short thin flexible tube with a mini camera built into its tip, called a ‘bronchoscope’, is used for this procedure. The bronchoscope is usually passed through your mouth or nose, into your trachea and bronchi. The doctor can then get a clear view of your airways. During the procedure, the doctor may take samples of tissue (biopsy) or respiratory secretions for examination. Bronchoscopies can also be used for ablation purposes. You may be interested in this award-winning biopsy and ablation service offered by the Royal Free Hospital in London UK – Innovation at Royal Free – Lung Biopsy and Radio Frequency Ablation Service

Thanks for reading about how physicians can take the camera directly to the sites of suspected tumours!

Steve Jobs died 5 Oct 2011. RIP Steve, you certainly made a difference to the world of technology and that is still being felt today. I have a number of google alerts setup and every day the emails arrive in my inbox. The longest email is always the Steve Jobs one, i.e. Steve Jobs is written about more than Neuroendocrine Cancer and other connected subjects. That’s interesting because Neuroendocrine Cancer is the type Steve had, not Pancreatic as is frequently reported.

There are huge differences between Pancreatic Cancer and Neuroendocrine Cancer with a pancreatic primary – click here to read more.

A lot has been written about Steve’s cancer experience and much of it is full of ‘what ifs’. However, I’d like to focus on the facts that are known and we can be almost certain about. That said, the precise detail that we (as NET patients) might want, is probably only to be found in Steve Jobs’s medical documents. Many people say that Steve Jobs had a right to personal privacy and I agree, nothing I put here isn’t already in the public domain.

Diagnosis

How was it found? In 2003, Steve was having a CT scan to examine his kidneys and ureter, as he had developed recurrent kidney stones beginning in the late 1990s. A suspicious lesion was spotted on his pancreas. To cut a long story short, he eventually had more specialist scans and then a biopsy which diagnosed a type of Neuroendocrine Tumour. There are many mentions of Insulinoma, a pNET which is reported to have a 10% malignancy rate (ISI Book – Woltering et al). It isn’t clear whether Steve had any presentational symptoms of an Insulinoma at this point (i.e. hypoglycemia). There is also some chatter online about his tumour being a Glucagonoma (another type of pNET).

Initial Treatment

Steve initially tried alternative medicine before having surgery 9 months after diagnosis. There are reports of his medical team urging surgery earlier and his biographer stated that Steve had later regretted this delay. One of his Doctors is reported to have said “Steve was a very thoughtful person. In deciding whether or not to have major surgery, and when, he spent a few months consulting with a number of physicians and scientists worldwide as well as his team of superb physicians. It was his decision to do this”. He is reported to have gone on to have a ‘Whipple’ type operation in 2004. It was only then, that his condition was made public. During that operation, 3 lesions were reported on his liver.

Ongoing Treatment and Surveillance

Most NET patients enter this phase after their initial treatment, it’s also the period where you learn about the cancer and how best to live with it. There’s not much written about Jobs’ illness between his surgery and his liver transplant but my research uncovered a useful timeline from Bloomberg and other sources:

June 12, 2005: Jobs talks about his fight with cancer during a commencement speech at Stanford University. He says he was diagnosed about a year earlier and that doctors told him he wouldn’t live longer than six months. The cancer turned out to be a form that was treatable with surgery, “and I’m fine now,” he says. Source Bloomberg. {Author’s note: an indication he had been told, or his doctors knew, it was a Neuroendocrine Tumor}

January 24, 2006: Walt Disney chief executive Bob Iger knew early on that Steve Jobs’s cancer had returned and kept it a secret before it became public knowledge, a new biography of Apple’s late chief executive reveals. The day the deal was officially announced, Mr Iger said he was at Pixar’s headquarters for the ceremony when Jobs asked to go for a private walk. On a secluded part of the Californian campus Jobs put his arm around Mr Iger’s shoulder and revealed his cancer was back. “Frankly, they tell me I’ve got a 50-50 chance of living five years,” the Disney CEO quoted Jobs as saying.

2007: Not much out there except that he was busy launching what might be regarded as Apple’s most successful and iconic product ever – the iPhone.

June 9, 2008: Jobs, while introducing the iPhone 3G at Apple’s developers’ conference, appears thinner and frail. The company blames a “common bug.”

July 21, 2008: Responding to concerns about Jobs’s appearance, Apple says he has no plans to leave the company and that his health is a private matter. Investors aren’t reassured, and the shares fall 10 percent.

July 23, 2008: The New York Times reports that Jobs has been telling associates and Apple’s board he is cancer-free. Jobs had a surgical procedure earlier in the year to address a problem that contributed to his weight loss, the newspaper reports, citing unnamed people close to the executive. The shares climb 2.6 percent.

July 26, 2008: New York Times columnist Joe Nocera writes that he spoke two days earlier on the phone with Jobs, who said his health problems weren’t life-threatening. Jobs declines to go on the record about the nature of his ailment.

Sept. 9, 2008: Jobs, introducing new iPod media players at an event in San Francisco, still looks thin. “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” Jobs jokes. Munster says that while the CEO’s appearance is unchanged since June, “Just the fact that Steve Jobs was up there was a positive.”

Oct. 3, 2008: A posting on CNN’s citizen journalist Web site, called iReport.com, says Jobs has been rushed to the hospital after a “major heart attack.” The shares fall 5.4pc. The stock rebounds after Apple says the report is false.

Dec. 16, 2008: Apple says that Jobs won’t be giving his usual speech at the Macworld conference, renewing concerns about his health. Jobs had used the forum to introduce new products for 11 straight years.

Jan. 5, 2009: Jobs says he is suffering from a hormone imbalance, causing him to lose weight. Jobs vows to remain CEO during treatment. “The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward,” Jobs says in an open letter.

Jan. 14, 2009: Jobs gives up day-to-day operations to Cook until June, saying his health problems are more complex than originally thought. Jobs says he will remain involved in major strategic decisions. “I look forward to seeing all of you this summer,” he says in a letter to employees.

By this stage, his cancer is already starting to take its toll on how he looks.

The disease takes its toll over the years

Liver Transplant 2009

It is common knowledge that Jobs had a liver transplant in 2009 in Tennessee (he was on the list in California and Tennessee). In between his Whipple and then, he appears to have lived (and worked) with his disease and it’s consequences. His issues appear to have been exacerbated by his excessive vegan diet/fads and the effects of the Whipple surgery (many of you will be aware of these effects). For example, he would spend weeks eating the same thing and then suddenly change his mind and stop eating it. He’d also go on fasts. His condition immediately prior to the liver transplant was said to be ‘poor’ and losing more weight (he had been noticeably thinner for some time).

Did Steve Jobs get ‘experimental’ PRRT?

Jobs took a second medical absence for roughly six months in 2009. It wasn’t until June 20th, two months after the fact, that the Wall Street Journal uncovered the fact that Jobs had undergone a secret liver transplant at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. However, during that absence, Fortune reported Jobs also took an unpublicized flight to Switzerland to undergo an ‘unusual radiological treatment’ (PRRT) at the University of Basel for neuroendocrine cancer, according to Jerry York, the Apple director who died in March 2010.

Post-Liver Transplant

In 2010, Jobs started to feel sick again. He would lose his appetite and begin to feel pains throughout his body. His doctors would do tests, detect nothing, and reassure him that he still seemed clear. In early November 2010, he was in pain, stopped eating and had to be fed intravenously by a nurse who came to his house. The doctors found no sign of more tumours, and they assumed that this was just another of his periodic cycles of fighting infections and digestive maladies.

Heres’ a great bunch of TV interviews (something Jobs didn’t do very often). “The last few years have reminded me that life is fragile”. Click here (worth watching the whole 10 minutes). His final TV appearance was in June 2011 to the Cupertino City Council about the acquisition of land for their new campus. Worth watching some of it: Click here.

The End

In early 2011, doctors detected the recurrence that was causing these symptoms. Ultimately, he developed liver, bone, and other metastases. He had a further extended leave of absence from his job before stepping down as Apple CEO in Aug, Steve Jobs eventually died 5 Oct 2011.

The last few years have reminded me that life is fragile

References

Notwithstanding the Pancreatic Cancer vs Neuroendocrine Cancer issue, I carried out my research mainly using two articles of the many you can find out there:

A Tumor Is No Clearer in Hindsight. This article comes to similar conclusions than the one above but it’s shorter and easier to read. It’s from the New York times and was written after the dust settled on Jobs’ death (i.e. when more facts were available). There is also input to this article from NET specialists Dr Wolin and Dr Libutti.

Personal Summary

“A tumor is no clearer in hindsight” is a good summary on the basis that I would have liked much more detail! During my research, I found many mentions of Insulin as stated above but only one or two mentioning Glucagon, a hormone associated with another pNET type – Glucagonoma. However, looking at this tumor type in the ISI Book (Woltering et al) and the Jobs diagnostic and treatment story, I have some doubts whether this was the precise tumor type. I have some other searches in progress hoping to find something concrete.

“Thinking Differently“ There is no doubt that Steve Jobs was an amazing and very interesting character. You just can’t see Apple being the Apple it is today without his intervention. He was famous for being ‘unconventional’ and ‘thinking different’ and I get that element of his character. I just can’t help thinking that perhaps he should have been more ‘conventional’ with this thinking and approach to treating his cancer. However, we just don’t know what advice he was receiving and what advice he accepted or rejected. As for the ‘Pancreatic Cancer’ thing – I’ve said this before, I believe patients only say or interpret what their doctors say to them in regards cancer type.

“The most famous patient ambassador we never had”. I don’t mean any disrespect by that, I’m just emphasising that we need so much more awareness of our cancer and a high-profile patient could do so much to help in this area. If he was so inclined, Steve would have been a fantastic advocate for Neuroendocrine Cancer and there’s an area where perhaps thinking different might be the way ahead. However, I have a suspicion that very famous people don’t really want to talk about their illness and Steve Jobs might even perceive that as a weakness.

I think most people have had a form of medical testing at some point in their life, i.e. the sampling and testing of blood, urine, saliva, stool or body tissue. In a nutshell, the medical staff are just measuring the content of a ‘substance’ and then taking a view whether this is normal or not based on pre-determined ranges. These tests are normally done as a physician’s reaction to symptom presentation or maintenance/surveillance of an existing diagnosed condition. Sometimes, abnormal results will lead to more specialist tests.

In cancer, these tests are frequently called ‘markers’. Most tumour markers are made by normal cells as well as by cancer cells; however, they are produced at much higher levels in cancerous conditions. These substances can be found in the blood, urine, stool, tumour tissue, or other tissues or bodily fluids of some patients with cancer. Most tumour markers are proteins. However, more recently, patterns of gene expression and changes to DNA have also begun to be used as tumour markers. Many different tumour markers have been characterized and are in clinical use. Some are associated with only one type of cancer, whereas others are associated with two or more cancer types. No “universal” tumour marker that can detect any type of cancer has been found.

There are some limitations to the use of tumor markers. Sometimes, noncancerous conditions can cause the levels of certain tumor markers to increase. In addition, not everyone with a particular type of cancer will have a higher level of a tumour marker associated with that cancer. Moreover, tumour markers have not been identified for every type of cancer. Tumour markers are not foolproof and other tests and checks are usually needed to learn more about a possible cancer or recurrence.

I’d also like to talk about a group of associated tests, in particular, hormone levels as these tests are really important to help determine the type of Neuroendocrine Tumour. NETs will sometimes oversecrete hormones and this can give clues to the type. The constraints mentioned above apply to hormone levels and other tests to a certain extent.

What this article will not cover

Routine Testing – the post will not cover routine blood tests (i.e. complete blood count etc). Although they may point to a problem, these tests do not necessarily indicate a particular type of NET without other supporting evidence.

Biopsy Testing – Technically, the Immunohistochemical ‘stains’ used in biopsy testing are tumour markers but I’ll not be discussing that today. I did cover the output of biopsies in my blog on NETs – Stages and Grades.

Genetic Testing. This is very specialised but you may find my Genetics and NETs article is of interest.

Sequencing of marker testing – diagnosis

The sequencing of marker testing may have been different for many patients. In my own experience, I had a biopsy and then the biochemical checks were carried out. So regardless of the results of my marker tests, I was to be diagnosed with NETs. Those with lengthy and difficult diagnostic phases will perhaps have had a different sequence with the biochemical markers providing evidence for further tests to formally diagnose. Markers alone will normally not be enough for a diagnosis but they do, however, feed into the treatment plan and provide a baseline at diagnosis and for tracking going forward.

The use of markers tends to be different on an international basis, e.g. specific marker tests can be developed in-country by independent labs. Testing can also vary in the same country as labs through the use of different commercially available ‘testing kits’.

Reference ranges are dependent on many factors, including patient age, gender, sample population, and test method, and numeric test results can have different meanings in different laboratories. The lab report containing your test results should include the relevant reference range for your test(s). Please consult your doctor or the laboratory that performed the test(s) to obtain the reference range if you do not have the lab report.

Moreover, the ‘normal’ test range can vary from hospital to hospital, even within the same tests. I can only imagine that clinical staff have their own versions of risk thresholds when dealing with test results. Even when results are just above or below, individual physicians can take their own view in a subjective manner. Testing is best done at the same lab each time if possible.

There’s a great website called LabTestsOnlinewhich can describe each test. It’s peer-reviewed, non-commercial and patient-focused but just please note you should always refer to your own lab ‘normal ranges’ which will be printed on your test results. For these reasons, you will not find reference ranges for the majority of tests described on this web site. The link above will take you to the list of ‘country’ affiliated versions with specific information on a country basis.

Here’s some tips I always give people:

1 – Always try to get your own copy of results (preferably on paper) and track them yourself (I use a spreadsheet).

2 – When comparing results inside patient forums, always add the range and if possible, the unit of measurement (i.e. g/L, mmol/L, umol/L etc etc). Failure to do this can at best confuse, and at worst frighten patients. Compare apples with apples not with pears!

3 – Don’t get too excited about rises if the test is still inside the normal range – normal is normal!

4 – Don’t get too excited about rises taking you just outside of normal range – your doctors are looking for bigger spikes.

5. Don’t get too excited about a single test result, your doctors are looking for trends, a single test result is not much to go on.

NET Markers

Although some routine blood markers (complete blood count etc) are useful in NETs, it’s pretty much impossible to cover these in any general detail. I’m going to focus on tumor and hormone associated markers

There are many markers involved with NETs. Some do different jobs and some are just variants measuring the same thing (more or less efficiently). You may also see something called ‘gold standard’ in reference to NET Tumour markers. Although thinking is changing (more on this below) and can vary from country to country, it is generally accepted that Chromogranin A and 5HIAA are the gold standard markers for tumour bulk and tumour functionality respectively. These gold standard tests may not be applicable to every type of NET, particularly 5HIAA. I’m also aware that US doctors are reducing the dependency on CgA and using Pancreastatin instead (although many are measuring both).

NETs are known to be heterogeneous in nature (i.e. consisting of or composed of dissimilarelements;nothaving a uniformqualitythroughout). Whilst some markers can be used widely, it follows that there are many very specialist marker tests for individual types of NET. I think this applies to 3 broad categories of NETs: Tumours known to potentially oversecrete Serotonin and and perhaps others (mainly midgut), Pancreatic NETs (or pNETs) secreting various hormones by type; and other less common types and/or syndromes which might be considered by some to be even more complex than the former two and in some cases there are big overlaps.

Another interesting thing about NET markers is that an undiagnosed patient may undergo several specialist tests to eliminate the many possibilities that are being presented as vague and common symptoms. Sometimes this is necessary to eliminate or ‘home in’ on a tumour type or syndrome/hormone involved (it’s that jigsaw thing again!).

Markers too can be divided into broad categories, those measuring how much tumour is in your body and its growth potential and those measuring how functional (or not) those tumours are. The latter can probably be expanded to measure/assess excess hormone secretion and syndromes.

The Anatomy

Certain tests can be anatomy related so to add context and to prevent big repetitive lists when using the terms ‘foregut’, ‘midgut’ and ‘hindgut’, you may find this graphic useful.

Markers for measuring Tumour bulk or load/growth prediction

Chromogranin (plasma/blood test)

Chromogranin is an acidic protein released along with catecholamines from chromaffin cells and nerve terminals. This statement alone might explain why it is a good marker to use with NETs. Depending on the test kit being used, you may see test results for Chromogranin A (CgA) and Chromogranin B (CgB) – the inclusion of CgB tends to be confined to Europe. There is also mention of Chromogranin C (CgC) in places but I’ve never heard of this being used in conjunction with NETs.

One of the disadvantages of CgA is that the results can be skewed by those taking Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs). Many NET patients are taking PPIs to treat GERD (….and Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome). In the long-term, this has the result of increasing gastrin levels which can lead to an increase of CgA in the blood including for some months after discontinuing. CgB is said not be as influenced by the use of PPI as CgA. In addition to the issue with PPIs, CgA levels may also be elevated in other illnesses including severe hypertension and renal insufficiency. CgB is also said to be more sensitive to Pheochromocytoma.

Elevated CgA is a constant and somewhat excitable discussion point on patient forums and not just because of the lack of unit of measurement use I discussed above. Some people get quite excited about a single test result. I refer to Dr Woltering et al (ISI Book) where it clearly states that changes in CgA levels of more than 25% over baseline are considered significant and a trend in serial CgA levels over time has been proven to be a useful predictor of tumour growth (i.e. a single test result with an insignificant rise may not be important on its own). Dr Woltering also gives good advice on marker tests when he says “normal is normal” (i.e. an increased result which is still in range is normal).

Here is a nice graphic explaining what else could be the cause of elevated CgA:

CgA appears to be a widely used tumour marker and is effective in most NETs (foregut, midgut and hindgut). It is also sensitive to Pheochromocytoma, particularly when correlated with a 131I-MIBG scan. Interestingly Chromogranin can also be used in the immunohistochemical staining of NET biopsy samples (along with other methods).

As for my own experience, my CgA was only elevated at diagnosis, remained elevated after intestinal surgery but returned to normal after liver surgery (indicating the effect of liver tumour bulk on results). It also spiked out of range when some growth in a distant left axillary node was reported in Jan 2012. Following a lymphadenectomy, it returned to normal again and has remained in range to this day. It has been a good predictor of tumour bulk for me and I’m currently tested every 6 months.

Pancreastatin

In effect, this marker does the same job as CgA. Interestingly, Pancreastatin is actually a fragment of the CgA molecule. There have been many studies (mainly in the US) indicating this is a more efficient marker than CgA, and not only because it is not influenced by the use of PPI. It has also been suggested that it’s more sensitive than CgA and therefore capable of detecting early increases in tumour burden. It has also been suggested it can be an indication of tumour ‘activity’ (whatever that means). It is widely used in the US and some physicians will use it in preference to CgA (…..although from what I read, CgA also seems to be tested alongside). I’m starting to see this mentioned in the UK.

Neurokinin A (NKA)

This is not a well publicised test. However, it is something used in USA but I’d like to hear from others to validate its use elsewhere. In a nutshell, this test, which only applies to well differentiated midgut NETs, appears to have some prognostic indication. I discovered this test in the ISI NET Guidance and it’s backed up by a study authored by names such as Woltering, O’Dorisio, Vinik, et al. This is not a one-off test but one designed to be taken serially, i.e. a number of consecutive tests. These authors believe that NKA can also aid in the early identification of patients with more aggressive tumors, allowing for better clinical management of these patients. NKA is sometimes called Substance K.

Neuron-Specific Enolase (NSE)

In patients with suspected NET who have no clear elevations in the primary tumor markers used to diagnose these conditions, an elevated serum NSE level supports the clinical suspicion.

Markers for measuring Tumour functionality/hormone/peptide levels

So far, I’ve covered basic tumor markers which have a tumor bulk and/or prognostic indication. This section is a slightly more complex area and many more tests are involved. There’s often a correlation between CgA/Pancreastatin and these type of markers in many patients i.e. a serial high level of CgA might indicate a high level of tumour bulk and therefore increased production of a hormone in patients with a syndrome or oversecreting tumor. However, it frequently does not work out like that, particularly when dealing with non-functioning tumours.

The type of marker for this element of NET diagnosis and surveillance will vary depending on the type of NET and its location (to a certain extent). Like tumour bulk/growth, there might be different options or test variants on an international basis. There are too many to list here, so I’ll only cover the most common.

Serotonin Secreting Tumors

There are a few markers in use for measuring the functionality of this grouping of tumours. This tumour group has a tendency to secrete excess amounts of the hormone Serotoninalthough it differs depending on the area of the primary. For example, hindgut tumours tend to secret lower levels than foregut and midgut and therefore this test may present within range. Please also note there may be other hormones of note involved. The antiquated and misleading term ‘Carcinoid’ is sometimes used as a descriptor for these tumours and more and more NET scientific organisations and specialists are now avoiding use of this term.

Lug the Jug

5HIAA. 5HIAA is a metabolite of Serotonin thus why it’s a useful thing to measure to assess functionality in this grouping of tumours. 5HIAA is actually the ‘gold standard’ test for functioning serotonin secreting tumours. It’s a key measure of the effects of carcinoid syndrome and the risk of succumbing to carcinoid heart disease. However, there are two methods of testing: Urine and Plasma. The latter is mainly used in USA but other countries are now looking at implementing the plasma version (in fact I’m now tested in both at my local hospital in UK). The rather obvious key difference between the two is practicality. With the 24 hour urine, there are two key issues: 1. The logistics (i.e. lug the jug). 2. Fasting for up to 3 days prior to the test (4 if you count the day of the test). There are numerous variations on the fasting theme but most labs tend to say not to eat at least the following foods that contain high levels of serotonin producing amines: avocados, bananas, chocolate, kiwi fruit, pineapple, plums, tomatoes, and walnuts. Some lists contain additional items. With the plasma version, the fasting period is reduced to 8 hours. There are also medicinal limitations including drugs that can also alter 5-HIAA urine values, such as acetanilide, phenacetin, glyceryl guaiacolate (found in many cough syrups), methocarbamol, and reserpine. Drugs that can decrease urinary 5-HIAA levels include heparin, isoniazid, levodopa, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, methenamine, methyldopa, phenothiazines, and tricyclic antidepressants. Patients should talk to their doctor before decreasing or discontinuing any medications.

As for my own experience, my 5HIAA (urine) was elevated at diagnosis only returning to normal after removal of my primary and commencement of Lanreotide. It has been a good measure of tumour functionality for me and I’m currently tested every 6 months.

Other tests for the tumour subgroup include but not limited to:

Serum Serotonin (5-HydroxyTryptamine; 5-HT). Firstly let’s deconflict between 5HIAA above and the serotonin (5-HT) blood test. 5HIAA is a metabolite of serotonin but the serotonin test is a measure of pure serotonin in the blood. Morning specimens are preferred and this is a fasting test (10-12 hours). There is always debate on forums about Serum Serotonin results. I have Dr Liu on record as saying “a high serotonin level measured in the blood in isolation really isn’t that dangerous. It’s the 5HIAA (a breakdown product of serotonin, which is easily measured in the blood and urine) that is considered to be more indicative of persistent elevated hormone. It’s this test that is most closely related to the carcinoid heart disease”.

Substance P. A substance associated with foregut and midgut tumours. It is a vasoactive protein that can cause wheezing, diarrhea, tachycardia, flushing

Histamines – Usually associated with foregut tumors. Appears to be involved in patchy rashes and flushing. The advice in the ISI NET book is no anti-histamine medication to be taken for 48 hours prior to blood draw.

The key makers are CgA and Gastrin although Gastrin may not be elevated in Type 3. Gastrin ph is useful to differentiate between Type 1 and Type 2. 5HIAA can be considered but Carcinoid Syndrome is rare in Gastric NETs.

NETs of the Pancreas (pNETs)

There are many different types of cells in the pancreas

pNETs can be very difficult to diagnose and not only because they share some presentational similarities to their exocrine counterparts. Some pNETs actually comprise tumours arising in the upper part of the duodenum (small intestine) close to the Pancreas. Moreover, more than half of pNETs are non-functional which increases the difficulty in suspecting and then finding the tumours. However, where there is clinical presentation or suspicion, these symptoms can lead to the appropriate testing to support the output of scans. The fasting gut profile mentioned above can be useful in identifying the offending hormones when the type of NET is not yet known.

A gut hormone screen is used for the diagnosis of a variety of endocrine tumours of the pancreas area. Analysis includes gastrin, VIP, somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide, and glucagon, but there may be others depending on processes used by your ordering specialist or hospital.

Notes:

1. You may see this referred to as a ‘Fasting Gut Profile’ or a ‘Fasting Gut Hormone Profile’.

3. The fasting conditions also vary between hospitals and labs but all agree the conditions are critical to the most accurate results. Always ask for instructions if you’re offered this test.

The gastrin test is usually requested to help detect high levels of gastrin and stomach acid. It is used to help diagnose gastrin-producing tumours called gastrinomas, Zollinger-Ellison (ZE) syndrome, and hyperplasia of G-cells, specialised cells in the stomach that produce gastrin. It may be measured to screen for the presence of multiple endocrine neoplasia type I (MEN) It may be used if a person has abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and recurrent peptic ulcers. A gastrin test may also be requested to look for recurrence of disease following surgical removal of a gastrinoma.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) measurement is required for diagnosis of pancreatic tumour or a ganglioneuroma which secretes VIP. Administration of VIP to animals causes hyperglycaemia, inhibition of gastric acid, secretion of pancreatic bicarbonate and of small intestinal juice, and a lowering of systemic blood pressure with skin flush. These features are seen in patients with a tumour of this type which is secreting VIP.

Glucagon is measured for preoperative diagnosis of a glucagon-producing tumour of the pancreas in patients with diabetes and a characteristic skin rash (necrolytic migratory erythema).

Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) production is most commonly associated with tumours producing vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and with carcinoid syndrome and, less commonly, with insulinomas and gastrinomas.

When secreted by endocrine tumours, somatostatin appears to produce symptoms similar to those seen on pharmacological administration, i.e. steatorrhoea, diabetes mellitus and gall stones.

There are several types of pNETs, each with their own syndrome or hormone issue. When they are suspected due to the presentational symptoms, the markers that could be used are listed below. These types of tumours are complex and can be related to one or more syndromes. A patient may be tested using multiple markers to include or exclude these. Depending on other factors, some physicians may recommend additional marker testing in addition to the most common types below.

Other NETs/Syndromes

Medullary Thyroid Cancer. Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) starts as a growth of abnormal cancer cells within the thyroid – the parafollicular C cells. In the hereditary form of medullary thyroid cancer (~20% of cases, often called Familial MTC or FMTC), the growth of these cells is due to a mutation in the RET gene which was inherited. This mutated gene may first produce a premalignant condition called C cell hyperplasia. The parafollicular C cells of the thyroid begin to have unregulated growth. In the inherited forms of medullary thyroid cancer, the growing C cells may form a bump or nodule in any portion of the thyroid gland. Unlike papillary and follicular thyroid cancers, which arise from thyroid hormone-producing cells, medullary thyroid cancer originates in the parafollicular cells (also called C cells) of the thyroid. These cancer cells make a different hormone called calcitonin, which has nothing to do with the control of metabolism in the way thyroid hormone does. The other test often seen in MTC is Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA). CEA is a protein that is usually found in the blood at a very low level but might rise in certain cancers, such as medullary thyroid cancer. There is no direct relationship between serum calcitonin levels and extent of medullary thyroid cancer. However, trending serum calcitonin and CEA levels can be a useful tool for doctors to consider in determining the pace of change of a patient’s medullary cancer.

[please note there are extremely rare occurrences of elevated calcitonin from places outside the thyroid – read more here.

Parathyroid– Parathyroid hormone (PTH), Serum Calcium. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is secreted from four parathyroid glands, which are small glands in the neck, located behind the thyroid gland. Parathyroid hormone regulates calcium levels in the blood, largely by increasing the levels when they are too low. A primary problem in the parathyroid glands, producing too much parathyroid hormone causes raised calcium levels in the blood (hypercalcaemia – primary hyperparathyroidism). You may also be offered an additional test called Parathyroid Hormone-Related Peptide (PTHrP). They would probably also measure Serum Calcium in combination with these type of tests. The parathyroid is one of the ‘3 p’ locations often connected to Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia – MEN 1 – see MEN below.

Pituitary/Cushings – Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), Cortisol.

HPA AXIS – It’s important to note something called the HPA axis when discussing pituitary hormones as there is a natural and important connection and rhythm between the Hypothalamus, Pituitary and the Adrenal glands.

Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) is made in the corticotroph cells of the anterior pituitary gland. It’s production is stimulated by receiving corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) from the Hypothalamus. ACTH is secreted in several intermittent pulses during the day into the bloodstream and transported around the body. Like cortisol (see below), levels of ACTH are generally high in the morning when we wake up and fall throughout the day. This is called a diurnal rhythm. Once ACTH reaches the adrenal glands, it binds on to receptors causing the adrenal glands to secrete more cortisol, resulting in higher levels of cortisol in the blood. It also increases production of the chemical compounds that trigger an increase in other hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline. If too much is released, The effects of too much ACTH are mainly due to the increase in cortisol levels which result. Higher than normal levels of ACTH may be due to:

Cushing’s disease – this is the most common cause of increased ACTH. It is caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland (PitNET), which produces excess amounts of ACTH. (Please note, Cushing’s disease is just one of the numerous causes of Cushing’s syndrome). It is likely that a Cortisol test will also be ordered if Cushing’s is suspected.

Cortisol

This is a steroid hormone, one of the glucocorticoids, made in the cortex of the adrenal glands and then released into the blood, which transports it all round the body. Almost every cell contains receptors for cortisol and so cortisol can have lots of different actions depending on which sort of cells it is acting upon. These effects include controlling the body’s blood sugar levels and thus regulating metabolism acting as an anti-inflammatory, influencing memory formation, controlling salt and water balance, influencing blood pressure. Blood levels of cortisol vary dramatically, but generally are high in the morning when we wake up, and then fall throughout the day. This is called a diurnal rhythm. In people who work at night, this pattern is reversed, so the timing of cortisol release is clearly linked to daily activity patterns. In addition, in response to stress, extra cortisol is released to help the body to respond appropriately. Too much cortisol over a prolonged period of time can lead to Cushing’s syndrome. Cortisol oversecretion can be associated with Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma (ACC) which can sometimes be grouped within the NET family.

Estrogen – early signs of puberty in children, enlarged breast tissue in males.

Aldosterone – weight gain, high blood pressure.

Adrenal Insufficiency (Addison’s Disease) occurs when the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the hormone cortisol and in some cases, the hormone aldosterone. For this reason, the disease is sometimes called chronic adrenal insufficiency, or hypocortisolism.

A tumour outside the pituitary gland, producing ACTH (also called ectopic ACTH). With NETs, this is normally a pNET, Lung/Bronchial NET or Pheochromocytoma.

Carcinoid Heart Disease(CHD) (Hedinger syndrome)I’m not really talking directly about a tumour here but thought it would be useful to include a blood test called NT-proBNP. I’ve left a link to my CHD article in the paragraph heading for those who wish to learn more about CHD in general. For those not offered an annual Echocardiogram or are ‘non-syndromic’ there is a screening test that can give an indication of any heart issue which might then need further checks.

The Future – Molecular Markers?

This is testing using DNA and genes. Exciting but complex – check out this article which involved some NETs.

New treatments seem to be appearing every month and that is good news for patients. I have a personal connection to this one though. In 2014, Chris and I walked along Hadrian’s Wall, a 2,000-year-old World Heritage structure in Northern England. This was part therapy for me but also part fund-raising to help pay for this new treatment which launches today in Southampton General Hospital (UK) which was recently awarded the coveted title of European NET Centre of Excellence (along with Bournemouth and Portsmouth Hospitals). It is the first ever deployment of this type of treatment in UK and Chris and I were happy to shred the soles of our feet to support this worthy cause, particularly when the two guys behind the idea were my surgeon (Mr Neil Pearce) and my Interventional Radiologist (Dr Brian Stedman). Both of these brilliant and skilled people ‘worked on me’ for 12 months in 2010/2011 and I live to tell you this tale! Shortly after my surgery, they decided to set up PLANETS to focus on providing additional support for Neuroendocrine Cancer and other types such as Pancreatic and Liver in which they specialised.

Mr Neil Pearce (L), Ronny Allan (C), Dr Brian Stedman (R)

Intra-Operative Radiotherapy (IORT) provided by Mobetron is a bit of a game changer for advanced cancers which are hard to treat and remove. This development is said to be at the cutting edge of modern radiation oncology. Despite the heading, this treatment can be used for many cancers including Neuroendocrine, Pancreatic, Colorectal and Bladder. It is a mobile version and can be moved to different operating theatres. There are plans to eventually extend the portfolio to include Head and Neck, Oesophageal, Lung, Breast and Cervical cancers. The technology can also be used on Brain tumours but there are currently no plans to offer this service.

The radiotherapy is applied during surgery which means the treatment can be delivered more directly without causing damage to surrounding tissue and organs. It’s worth adding at this stage that this type of radiotherapy is not the same as PRRT. Moreover, it is not designed to replace PRRT which remains an option for patients downstream if they still need it (in addition to other treatments such as Sirtex, liver emobolisatons). Clearly dosage calculations would be required for cumulative radiation exposure over short timescales. Worth noting that PRRT currently remains denied to patients in England.

The type of radiotherapy is more similar to conventional external beam systems and the key advantage is that it can be used for areas where tumours have just been removed or part removed or in locations which have a tendency to recur; and for inoperable tumours such as those surrounding vital structures. Examples include: bulky pancreatic tumours, inoperable mesenteric root lymph node deposits, difficult pelvic tumours, metastases around the bladder, rectum or uterus and ovaries. It follows that in addition to treating certain tumours earlier than would normally be possible, IORT may preclude the need for further treatment or at least extend the period post surgery where further treatment would be required.

Clearly there is a lot of excitement surrounding this first ever deployment of IORT which has raised the profile of Neuroendocrine Tumours in the UK national press – check out this article in the Daily Mail by clicking here. There is a useful animated video to watch by clicking here.

The official launch happened on Mon 13 Jun 2016 and Chris and I were very proud to attend.

I recently blogged about a well-known BBC political reporter who has a Neuroendocrine Cancer with a Lung Primary. However, in the usual media ‘double speak’ which can sometimes pervade the coverage of such events, he is said to have Lung Cancer. As I said in that article, sometimes with Neuroendocrine Cancer – the devil is in the detail and you just need to dig to find it!

No sooner had I published the Nick Robinson article, I was alerted to the broadcasting of a film about rock star Wilko Johnson who has the most amazing story to tell. Wilko is a former member of Dr Feelgood, a famous British R&B band who were pretty popular in the 60s/70s/80s and remain so today.

In 2014, Wilko was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and was told he had a year to live. One year later, a photographer friend Charlie Chan (who just happened to be a doctor) commented that he looked too well and was still doing his routine and fast-paced musical performance, that something was perhaps not right about this diagnosis. To cut a long story short, he was retested and re-diagnosed with a Neuroendocrine Cancer with a primary in the pancreas. However, it was a large tumour (the size of a melon) and the surgery was ‘extreme’ with a lower than normal chance of survival. He seems to be doing OK so far. However, the ‘double speak’ is also being used in his case as nearly all reports and news articles state he has Pancreatic Cancer.

Until I saw the film on BBC1 a few days ago, I hadn’t realised the film was even being made. The first half of the film is really about a man who thinks he is going to die and he doesn’t really have an issue with this – he misses out all the usual emotions moving straight to acceptance. He also decided to do a ‘final’ gig teaming up with Roger Daltrey (The Who) – you can watch this from a link below.

I suspect the film sponsors were totally surprised to be continuing the film to include his re-diagnosis, his surgery and the beginning of his recuperation (I suspect Wilko was more surprised though). Having now watched the full 90 minutes, I can say I enjoyed it (particularly the second half) but I suspect it won’t be everyone’s ‘cup of tea’. However, it gives an insight into the man himself along with his journey. Some of the music clips will get your feet tapping. A little bit of me wants to get to know him more as I hadn’t realised he is a bit of a philosopher (ex-English teacher) and an astronomer in addition to being a rock star and generally down to earth ‘geezer’. There are some good quotes in the film including “if the cancer is going to kill me, I don’t want it to bore me”. This probably explains his very positive attitude when told he would die and decided his ‘new normal’ would be his usual normal!

There is not a single mention of Neuroendocrine Cancer (unfortunately). However, the film came out on DVD 11 Dec 2015. There might be limitations on playback in non-UK countries but WATCH THE TRAILER by clicking here

I have in fact had an online chat with Wilko Johnson who said he would help with Neuroendocrine publicity (not yet seen though). Check out the conversation here:

There’s also an interesting interview with Roger Daltrey (member of The Who and friend of Wilko). There is more detail of this “other” cancer and his recuperation but again the word Neuroendocrine is not mentioned. WATCH HERE

Here is the gig with Roger Daltrey, which Wilko thought this would be his last. WATCH HERE

Having watched the film, I now have more sympathy with Wilko’s position and there’s a bit of me thinking we might hear some more about his condition downstream ………..

This is the second article in the Neuroendocrine Cancer Nutrition series. In the first article, I focused on Vitamin and Mineral deficiency risks for patients and there is a big overlap with the subject of Gastrointestinal Malabsorption. Those who remember the content will have spotted the risks pertaining to the inability to absorb particular vitamins and minerals. This comes under the general heading of Malabsorption and in Neuroendocrine Cancer patients, this can be caused or exacerbated by one or more of a number of factors relating to their condition. It’s also worth pointing out that malabsorption issues can be caused by other reasons unrelated to NETs. Additionally, malabsorption and nutrient deficiency issues can form part of the presenting symptoms which eventually lead to a diagnosis of Neuroendocrine Cancer; e.g. in my own case, I was initially diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anemia in association with some weight loss. Even after diagnosis, these issues still need to be carefully monitored as they can manifest as part of the consequences of having cancer and cancer treatment.

Malabsorption will present via several symptoms which may be similar to other issues (i.e. they could masquerade as, or appear to worsen the effect of a NET Syndrome). These symptoms may include (but are not limited to) tiredness/fatigue/lethargy, stomach cramps, diarrhea, steatorrhea (see below), weight loss. Some of these symptoms could be a direct result of nutrient deficiencies caused by the malabsorption. Some patients (and perhaps physicians?) could mistake these for symptoms of Neuroendocrine disease including certain syndromes, perhaps leading to prescribing expensive and unnecessary drugs when a different (and cheaper) strategy might be better.

Crash Course……. We eat food, but our digestive system doesn’t absorb food, it absorbs nutrients. Food has to be broken down from things like steak and broccoli into its nutrient pieces: amino acids (from proteins), fatty acids and cholesterol (from fats), and simple sugars (from carbohydrates), as well as vitamins, minerals, and a variety of other plant and animal compounds. Digestive enzymes, primarily produced in the pancreas and small intestine (they’re also made in saliva glands and the stomach), break down our food into nutrients so that our bodies can absorb them. If we don’t have enough digestive enzymes, we can’t break down our food—which means even though we’re eating well, we aren’t absorbing all that good nutrition.

What is malabsorption?

The malabsorption associated with Neuroendocrine Cancer is most prevalent with the inability to digest fat properly which can lead to steatorrhea. Patients will recognise this in their stools. They may be floating, foul-smelling and greasy (oily) and frothy looking. Many patients confuse steatorrhea with diarrhea but technically it’s a different issue although both issues may present concurrently. Whilst we all need some fat in our diets (e.g. for energy), if a patient is not absorbing fat, it ends up being wasted in their stools and in addition to the steatorrhea, it can also potentially lead to (unwanted) weight loss and micronutrient deficiencies of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Certain water-soluble vitamins, particularly B3 and B12, are also at risk. Many NET Patients are prescribed a supplement of pancreatic enzymes to combat these issues – see Article 5 in this series – Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT).

What causes it with NET Patients?

Structural Changes (i.e. Surgery)

This can play a very big part in malabsorption issues. For example, if a patient has undergone Pancreatic surgery, this will most likely effect the availability of pancreatic (digestive) enzymes needed to break down food. Many Small Intestine NET (SI NET) patients will suffer due to the removal of sections of their ileum, an area where absorption of water-soluble vitamins and other nutrients take place. In fact, the terminal ileum is really the only place where B12 is efficiently absorbed. Low B12 is known to cause fatigue. Some patients with Gastric tumours succumb to pernicious anemia with the most common cause being the loss of stomach cells that make intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor helps the body absorb vitamin B12 in the intestine. Although a less common tumour location, jejunum surgery could result in loss of nutrients as this section of the small intestine is active in digestive processes. Malabsorption issues for SI NETs are an added complication to the issues caused by a shorter bowel (e.g. increased transit times), something which is regularly assumed to be the effects of one of theNET Syndromes (particularly diarrhea and fatigue), when in actual fact, it’s a simple consequence of cancer treatment and may need a different treatment regime.

Evidence of the problems being caused by the effects of small intestinal surgery can be found in a recently published Swedish study which you can read here: Click here. This particular study recommends supplementation of B12 and D3 for those affected. If you’re having trouble getting your physician to monitor your vitamin levels, show them these studies. I get these vitamins checked annually.

The Gallbladder and Liver

The Gallbladder plays an important part in the digestive system – particularly in fat breakdown. The liver continually manufactures bile, which travels to the gallbladder where it is stored and concentrated. Bile helps to digest fat and the gallbladder automatically secretes a lot of bile into the small intestine after a fatty meal. However, when the gallbladder is removed, the storage of bile is no longer possible and to a certain extent, neither is the ‘on demand automation’. This results in the bile being constantly delivered/trickled into the small intestine making the digestion of fat less efficient. One of the key side effects of Somatostatin Analogues (Octreotide and Lanreotide) is the formation of gall stones and many Neuroendocrine Cancer patients have their gallbladder removed to offset the risk of succumbing to these issues downstream. However, the removal of the gallbladder increases the risk of Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM) as described below. Any issues with Bile Ducts can also have a similar effect.

The Liver has multiple functions including the production of bile as stated above. However, one of its key functions within the digestive system is to process the nutrients absorbed from the small intestine. If this process is affected by disease, it can potentially worsen the issues outlined above.

Bile Acids Malabsorption

Another risk created by the lack of terminal ileum is Bile Acids Malabsorption (BAM) (sometimes known as Bile Salts Malabsorption and some texts described the resultant diarrhea as ‘Bile Acid Diarrhea”). Bile Acids are produced in the liver and have major roles in the absorption of lipids in the small intestine. Following a terminal ileum resection which includes a right hemicolectomy, there is a risk that excess Bile Acids will leak into the large intestine (colon) via the anastomosis (the new joint between small and large intestines). This leakage can lead to increased motility, shortening the colonic transit time, and so producing watery diarrhea (or exacerbating an existing condition).

Somatostatin Analogues

Somatostatin Analogues can also impact (or worsen) the ability to digest fat as they inhibit the production of pancreatic digestive enzymes (amongst other things). This is a well-known side effect of both Octreotide and Lanreotide. The levels of the fat-soluble vitamins (ADEK) and B vitamins such as B12, need to be monitored through testing and/or in reaction to symptoms of malabsorption. If necessary these issues need to be offset with the use of supplements as directed by your dietician or doctor. Supplements are less affected by malabsorption of nutrients but their efficiency can be impacted by fast gut transit times (thus why testing is important). The evidence and recommendations for malabsorption caused by somatostatin analogues is here: Click Here.

Overlapping Areas

Deficiencies of these vitamins and certain minerals can lead to other conditions/comorbidities, some more serious than others. For a list of the vitamins and minerals most at risk for Neuroendocrine Cancer patients, have a read of my article which was co-authored by Tara Whyand – Vitamin and Mineral deficiency risks.

There is a third article in this series discussing a related issue with Neuroendocrine Cancer, particularly where gut surgery has been performed. You can link directly to this article here – “Gut Health” – (Gut Health, Probiotics and Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)).

The fourth article looks at Amines and why they can cause food reactions or exacerbate syndromes.

Many people also confuse steatorrhea with diarrhea (although these issues can appear simultaneously), again leading to wrong conclusions about the causes and effects, and worryingly, the treatment required. Check out my diarrhea article – click here.

Summary

A common problem in patients and from what I see, many just assume this is part of their various syndromes leading to the wrong therapy or no therapy as it’s simply ignored. Again, I remain very grateful to Tara Whyandfor some assistance.

This is a big and complex subject and I only intended to cover the basics. Everyone is different and nothing in here should be accepted as medical advice for you or anyone you know. If you need professional advice, you should speak to your doctor or registered dietitian.

I once met some fellow cancer advocates and the conversation turned to what inspired us to ‘do what we do’. When it came to my turn as the only Neuroendocrine Cancer patient, I was already prepared to regurgitate my usual ‘spiel’. As sometimes happens, a listener queried me with the words “Neuroendocrine – what’s that?“. Another focused on ‘Neuro‘ enquiring whether my nervous system or my brain had somehow become cancerous. Deja vu – here we go again!

Two days later, I was speaking to one of my online friends who was having similar problems explaining this cancer to family and friends. Again ‘Neuro‘ was proving difficult with the assumption that it’s somehow related to the brain. Technically not far from the truth but context is really important given that most people look at cancer in anatomical terms. As we know this can often lead to incorrect headlines for famous cancer patients.

I’ve struggled since 2010 to explain this disease in layperson terms. It’s actually one of the reasons for my ‘study’ and my blog. It’s getting easier, particularly when answering questions. However, if Neuroendocrine Cancer knowledge was an iceberg, I’d still be at the tip! I did write a post entitled Horrible Hormones which supports an explanation. You might like to read it– perhaps helpful to aid your overall understanding of this post.

The other difficult aspect of explaining Neuroendocrine Cancer is the extent of the Anatomy and Physiology of the Neuroendocrine system which appears in numerous parts of the body. I’ve written about this before at a time when I was fed up with newspaper reports and on-line articles implying that Neuroendocrine Cancer didn’t exist – e.g. by frequently describing Neuroendocrine Tumours of the Pancreas as Pancreatic Cancer and Neuroendocrine Tumours of the Lung as Lung Cancer. During some of my own verbal discussions, mention of the small intestine was frequently met with “so you have Bowel Cancer“. NO I DON’T! Good time to refresh yourself with my article The Human Anatomy of NET Cancer. This thinking needs to be challenged at every opportunity including while explaining to family and friends.

I’ve therefore decided to attempt a short, generic but still sufficiently detailed explanation of the word ‘Neuroendocrine‘ in relation to my Cancer. I suspect by the end of this article, it will not be as short as I had wished. I do like a challenge 🙂 Here goes:

The neuroendocrine system is made up of a network of cells that are distributed throughout the body. The word neuroendocrine refers to 2 qualities of these cells: they have a similar structure to nerve cells (neurons) and produce hormones like endocrine cells. Neuroendocrine cells release hormones into the bloodstream in response to chemical signals from other cells or messages from the nervous system. Basically hormones travel in the bloodstream and makes things happen in another part of the body.

These neuroendocrine cells are scattered throughout the body performing different roles based on location, e.g.

Neuroendocrine cells in the digestive system regulate intestinal movements and the release of digestive enzymes

Neuroendocrine cells in the respiratory system are believed to play a role in the developmental stages of the respiratory organs. They also regulate respiratory function.

There are many others including some which control or can affect blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose sugar levels and many other substances.

When Neuroendocrine tumours develop in these cells, they can not only then spread to other locations but they can also secrete excess amounts of hormones and substances which can cause an adverse effect on the body’s natural rhythm. A collection of these symptoms is known as a syndrome. There are several different syndromes depending on the location and type of Neuroendocrine Tumour, and there’s also a hereditary syndrome which is obviously present before tumours.

The presence of the syndrome nearly always indicates the disease has metastasized (spread) and that the tumours are functional. Sometimes tumours are non-functional (i.e. they do not secrete excess hormones) – can be even more difficult to diagnose than their functional counterparts often leading to presentation at very advanced stages.

Most Neuroendocrine Tumours are slow-growing and therefore offer good outlook if identified as early as possible and treated. Even for metastatic patients, the outlook is relatively good with the right treatment and surveillance. However, one of the biggest challenges for Neuroendocrine Tumour patients is the maintenance of a decent quality of life which can sometimes be impacted by the effects of their syndrome and/or the treatment.

_________________________

I found it very difficult to write a short and generic explanation of the word ‘Neuroendocrine‘ in relation to cancer – no wonder I seem to spend 10 minutes verbally explaining to people and…… no wonder they sometimes look at me with glazed eyes 🙂 However, this is my offer. This is as brief as I can make it to provide understanding. I’ve cut out more than I’ve left behind and feel like I’m short-changing you! However, it needs to be basic and it needs to be short.

Explanations which comprise lists of complex and unpronounceable words each with their own constraints and variable meanings leads to chaos and people switching off. I could have just referred to one of the excellent publications on the web but this isn’t really practical when in an impromptu conversation with wide-eyed listeners. That said, I believe the combination of this post and (if you see light-bulbs) the other 2 linked posts within, is a good way to answer the question if someone is willing to listen (and read a short reference). You may therefore need to follow-up the ‘verbal’ with the ‘written’.

To summarise, I intentionally made this explanation as generic as possible. Trying to explain every single type of Neuroendocrine Cancer will confuse and tire the best listener. If I was using this today, I would add my own additional comment about where my tumours were found and what treatment I’ve had – this I can do without a script! However, if you think this explanation is of use when verbally explaining Neuroendocrine in relation to your cancer, please feel free to share my blog post to aid understanding.

Neuroendocrine – what’s that? I didn’t have a clue …… until I was diagnosed with it!

You may remember my article entitled The trouble with the NET (Part 1)which was a lighthearted but still serious discussion about the dangers of self-treatment on the internet. Linked to that blog was a very popular article written by the scientists at Cancer Research UK debunking some cancer myths which seem to regularly patrol the NET and social media.

Many well meaning people will send you articles they saw on the ‘NET’ about this and that treatment which claims to cure cancer. They also post them on social media increasing the reach to thousands of people, some of whom are not in the right frame of mind to see the risks. The vast majority of these ‘suggestions’ will be lacking in any proper and formal scientific research and there is normally a product or book for sale attached to the link. In some instances, these ‘miracle cures’ can actually be dangerous for some.

Graphic courtesy of Emily McDowell Studio

In a follow on article, Cancer Research UK warns of the risks in Alternative Therapies which is written in a similar vein. I pay great attention to what these guys say. I know from my association with their research capability, that they take an evidence based approach and do not publish these things lightly. Please note Alternative Therapy is not the same as Complementary Therapy, it means an alternative to conventional treatment.

One bonus and very interesting aspect of their article is that they discuss the Steve Jobs issue of initially opting for alternative treatment rather than conventional, excellently making the point that he did not have Pancreatic Cancer, rather he had a Neuroendocrine Tumour (NET). We all know this, but many newspapers, magazines, TV commentators and bloggers frequently get this wrong.

One of the big selling points advocates of alternative therapies use is to claim that conventional treatments are ’toxic’ while their favoured treatment is ‘natural’, implying that natural is somehow better. In analysis, that is a fallacy.

“But it works… I read it in the news!”

Stories in the news about alternative therapies are usually framed in the words of a patient talking about their own cancer journey. But this is neither scientific proof nor any kind of guarantee that a treatment is effective or safe. People pushing alternative therapies frequently wheel out stories from ‘survivors’ who are apparently alive due to their treatments, yet without providing solid evidence to prove it is true. This raises false hope and unrealistic expectations that there is a hidden miracle cure that can be unlocked for the right price, or by eating exactly the right foods.

Those selling and promoting alternative treatments rarely discuss the risks, especially the biggest risk of all – missing that small window of opportunity to hit a cancer with the best conventional (and proven) treatment possible.

The link to the article is here – I strongly encourage you to have a read – click here.

There’s another article here where a study confirms people who opt for alternative therapy die sooner than those who don’t – read here.

You may also be interested in reading Part 3 of this series where I discuss the FDA clampdown on bogus claims made by those sharing ‘miracle cures’

Be careful out there – it’s dangerous.

You may also like my Neuroendocrine Cancer myths articles – click here

I’ve never smoked so I’m reasonably confident my own cancer experience is not related to this type of personal lifestyle. I did, however, grow up in a world where smoking was widespread and a generally accepted behaviour.

We now know that smoking causes more than four in five cases of lung cancer. Lung cancer not only has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers, but is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK. Shockingly, most of these deaths are preventable, by giving up smoking in time or not starting at all.

Smoking also increases the risk of at least 13 other cancers including the larynx (voice box), oesophagus (gullet), mouth and pharynx (throat), bladder, pancreas, kidney, liver, stomach, bowel, cervix, ovary, nose and sinus, and some types of leukaemia. There is also some evidence that smoking could increase the risk of breast cancer. The anatomy is pretty well covered by the risk of smoking.

I haven’t seen any evidence that smoking increases the risk of Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs) in the relevant parts of the anatomy listed above but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a connection or at least an increased risk with certain types and/or locations of NETs. Although years of research have proven that smoking causes cancer, this doesn’t mean that all smokers will definitely get cancer or that all non-smokers won’t. It means that smoking greatly increases the risk of this disease. Smokers are, on average, much more likely to get cancer than non-smokers.

One of my other activities outside of NET Cancer awareness and support work, is my role as a Cancer Research UK Campaigns Ambassador for New Forest West (a UK Parliament constituency in West Hampshire on the border with Dorset). Through this task, which I support in my own time for free, I’ve been helping Cancer Research UK with their various campaigns, in particular, the one to introduce standard tobacco packaging into the UK. Evidence shows that removing all branding and design from tobacco packs makes it less attractive for both adults and children. This is a controversial measure opposed by the tobacco industry and their sponsors. However, it was voted through by the UK Parliament early this year and is currently in a consultation phase. The general election may delay its introduction as law but hopefully this will become a reality in 2015. Clearly the tobacco industry is involved in rearguard actions ‘as we speak’.

When I was given the campaign material to read in Dec 2013, I was totally shocked by some of the statistics provided:

Since tobacco advertising became illegal in the UK in 2002, tobacco companies have invested a fortune in branded packaging to attract new smokers, particularly younger people;

Around 207,000 children aged 11-15 start smoking in the UK every year (6,900 classrooms worth). This means that nearly 570 children are lighting up and becoming smokers for the first time every day. Addiction keeps them smoking into adulthood, where it then kills one in two long-term users;

Two thirds of new smokers start before they are 18 and the vast majority while still teenagers;

Smoking-related diseases kill over 100,000 people in the UK every year. Worldwide the figure is 6,000,000 and projected to rise to 8,000,000 by 2030.

Tobacco use caused 100 million deaths worldwide during the 20th century, and if current trends continue it will kill 1 billion people in the 21st century.

Standardised tobacco packaging (sometimes known as plain packaging), is not a UK initiative. Australia was the first country in the world to introduce standardised packaging for tobacco products in December 2012 and have since reported the biggest fall in smoking for 2 decades. In addition to the UK, New Zealand and Ireland are working on similar legislation. Other countries are considering or have committed to some action including France, EU, Norway, Canada, India and Turkey. Countries said to be opposing such measures include USA, Italy, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

You can read more about standardised tobacco packaging at this link here: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/support-us/campaign-for-us/setting-the-standard-for-plain-cigarette-packaging/evidence-and

For UK nationals, you can help keep the pressure on the government to introduce the legislation quicker by emailing your Member of Parliament – see button labelled ‘Email your MP’ within the above link.

For other readers, you will probably find similar campaigns in your own national organisations and I recommend you read what they have to say.

Thank you for reading! I would love to hear your feedback on this issue so fire away!

If you would like to receive an email alert when a new post is published, click on the FOLLOW button. I love comments and questions about my blog posts, please feel free to add!

The papers and social media seem to be full of awareness and early diagnosis articles this month. This coincided with world NET Cancer Day on 10 Nov and world Pancreatic Cancer day on 13 Nov. Social media was, therefore, buzzing with messages from organisations supporting and advocating for both of these cancer types. These issues also made it to the conventional media outlets of newspapers, radio and television. Last week I watched a clip from the UK national news, where 7-year survivor of Pancreatic Cancer Ali Stunt was telling the nation about the top 3 symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer and I was struck by the similarities with NET Cancer. However what really caught my ear was Ali saying how important it was for individuals to think whether the symptoms they were experiencing were unusual for them. Great advice and a reminder that the patient has a duty to help in their own diagnosis. Ali also said to insist on seeing a doctor again if you felt something was still not right after the first visit. Again, excellent advice on the basis it appears to have saved her life. Click here for Ali’s interview

One other major story which caught my attention was the statement from NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) that they intend to update their guideline document “Suspected cancer: recognition and management of suspected cancer in children, young people and adults”. The statement followed news of research which indicated up to 10,000 people in England could be dying each year due to late diagnoses. This research cited the reasons why cancer diagnoses may be missed and these included the fact that over 200 different types of cancer exist, each with different symptoms,and that patientspresent at their GP with symptoms which are non-specific. Does that sound familiar to NET Cancer patients?

I found the NICE statement very interesting because in the 4 years I’ve been studying NET Cancer, I’ve never heard of these guidelines so thought I’d take a look. No surprises that NET Cancer (or more specifically, Neuroendocrine Tumours or Carcinoid) was not mentioned as a condition. I searched the entire 405-page document using the search terms ‘Neuroendocrine’, ‘Carcinoid’ and ‘flushing’ and only turned up a single reference to ‘Neuroendocrine’ within the children’s cancer section under Neuroblastoma.

The guidelines are constructed to look at cancer in terms of anatomy so I, therefore, looked at the most common place for a NET cancer – the small intestine. Good time to refresh my view on this by reading blog post The Anatomy of NET Cancer. I was happy to find a section on cancers of the small intestine which it defines as “a rare cancer of the duodenum, jejunum or ileum, with different histological subtypes. Most GPs will not diagnose a case during their career. The rarity of this cancer means there are no relevant studies of its clinical features. It may have symptoms similar to those of stomach or colorectal cancers. The main method of diagnosis is by biopsy, which is performed in secondary care.” That got me thinking that the target area for NET Cancer awareness campaigns in the UK might need to be focussed more on secondary rather than primary care? Food for thought?

I then found a non-anatomy based section further on entitled “Recommendations for specific symptoms and signs” which then cross references to the potential cancers involved. I was hoping to find something in there so I searched on the most common symptom of Carcinoid Syndrome (in most cases indicating an advanced carcinoid tumour) but there was no sign of the most common symptom of the most common type of NET Cancer.

It’s fantastic that NICE is updating its guidelines to provide the latest clinical and best practice advice to GPs. I also read that they are encouraging GPs to refer more people to secondary care as another way of tackling the late diagnosis issue (particularly important for NET Cancer patients when you consider the NICE guidelines above) – see BBC News article

It’s right that the more prevalent and more aggressive cancers be included as a priority in the NICE guidelines but NET Cancer is a notoriously misdiagnosed condition and people do die of this disease. Additionally, many people have to live with a reduced quality of life due to the symptoms and side effects and this comes at great cost to health providers. Perhaps the incidence rate of NET Cancer is still not high enough to merit mention in the NICE guidelines. Or perhaps there is still a general ignorance of these types of cancers in the ‘medical establishment’?

You can see a copy of these guidelines here although I suspect only UK-based patients will be really interested. Personally, I feel there could be a section specifically on Neuroendocrine Tumours as there are for other ‘systemic’ cancer types, perhaps with cross references to the various anatomy based sections in the document. Consequently, I’ve emailed NICE asking if there is anything in the pipeline to include guidance on NET Cancers and I urge UK-based patients to do similar – their email is: nice@nice.org.uk

NET Cancer patients and their advocates have been pushing and pushing for more recognition and it appears in the UK, this will go on for some time. Whilst I recognise the positive moves above, it’s important that both primary and secondary care medical staff are alerted to the symptoms of NET Cancer and are able to spot these at an earlier stage.

NET Cancer patients need an early diagnosis, not early misdiagnosis!

Thanks for reading

Ronny

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OPINION. Sometimes when I’m searching for cancer information, I’m presented with a ‘pick-list’ of types which mostly tend to be anatomy based. I do find it annoying when I cannot find my own cancer on the list …..some respectable organisations are just not as up to date as they should be! I can now totally understand why so many Neuroendocrine Tumour (NET) patients have become their own advocates and why they have to shout quite loud for recognition and understanding.

One of the key facets of NETs is that it is not tied to a particular part of the human anatomy. Unlike (say) lung cancer, where the primary is in the lung, or breast cancer where the primary can be found in the breast, neuroendocrine tumours arise from a cell type which can be present more or less anywhere in the body. Ignorance of this fact can at best lead to misinformation and confusion about Neuroendocrine Cancer – at worst, misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment for something else (including a different type of cancer in the same location – see below for an example). Take my own diagnosis phase. When I look at the radiology reports produced prior to diagnosis, there were mentions of ‘peri-aortic lymphadenopathy’, ‘mass in the small bowel mesentery’, ‘multiple liver lesions’, ‘retro-peritoneal fibrosis’, ‘extensive lymphadenopathy consistent with lymphoma or metastatic adenocarcinoma’. You can see from the mostly generalised wording, there was some scope for confusion given that 3 potential cancers were mentioned in one paragraph. However the biopsy confirmed NETs. That is what is now documented, that is what I tell people I have and that is what I’m treated for.

The point I’m making here is that certain cancers can appear almost anywhere in the body. Neuroendocrine Cancer is one of those. For example, a Neuroendocrine Tumour which originates in the intestines isn’t Bowel or Colon cancer. Similarly one which originates in the (say) Pancreas or Lung should not be confused with ‘core’ Pancreatic or Lung cancers. These are all histopathologically different cancers to NETs, they arise from different cells and the presentation, testing, treatment (curative or palliative) and prognosis can be very different. At worst, the wrong treatment will shorten the patients life. This is another key point as Neuroendocrine Cancers really need NET specialist medical teams (although there are certain types which I suspect on occasion may require external experts in conjunction with NET specialists).

Take the quite recent case in the news about Wilko Johnson, a well known R&B musician who was told he had Pancreatic Cancer and would die within 10 months. But a friend (a doctor) became curious as to why he wasn’t dead after 10 months and why he wasn’t even feeling ill! It was then discovered he had a NET, i.e. he had a Neuroendocrine rather than exocrine based cancer of the pancreas. So he went from dying to living (albeit living with the consequences of the cancer). Of course the newspapers even today continue to report he has “Pancreatic Cancer”. Read his amazing story by clicking here.

Dave Thomas the founder of Wendy’s Hamburger Chain had a Neuroendocrine Tumour but many newspaper reports said he died of liver cancer. Whilst they got the detail of the cancer correct, the ‘headline’ location is technically wrong as the liver was a metastasis (a secondary location). This robs us of vital awareness messages due to the ‘headline reading only population’.

They are not alone, the most famous NET patient is the late Steve Jobs (the founder of Apple). To this day, it is frequently reported he had “Pancreatic Cancer” when in fact he had a Neuroendocrine Cancer with a primary in the Pancreas. I see this error repeated weekly in my news alerts plus with many other diagnosed patients. Read a very details Steve Jobs story by clicking here.

However, on 16th August 2018, some might say a person more famous than Jobs was diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Tumors (pancreatic primary). Aretha Franklin was initially diagnosed in 2010, other than pancreatic primary, other details are scant as she wanted to keep her condition private. However, the media exploded with claims she died of Pancreatic Cancer, although several outlets did mention it was the ‘Neuroendocrine type’ and many left that bit out. Although this left a little door open for Neuroendocrine awareness, the community faces a very difficult task in regaining the high ground and it is looking like ‘Steve Jobs’ all over again as the news went viral. That said, it appears her death certificate does confirm Neuroendocrine Cancer. Read more by clicking here.

On 13 Jan 2017, it was announced that Siri Co-Founder Dag Kittlaus has Pancreatic Cancer. Although the detail said Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor, it is still a misleading statement and once again, the headline reading population receive only the Pancreatic Cancer message.

There are huge differences between Pancreatic Cancer and Neuroendocrine Cancer with a pancreatic primary – click here to read more.

I’ve also lost count of the number of times I’ve read regional and national patient stories where the headlines mentioned various parts of the anatomy only to find it was a Neuroendocrine Tumour in the detail. Frustratingly, many of these articles are also fundraising for the wrong type of cancer in addition to the misdirected awareness messages.

Let me add that this is not an attempt to bash Aretha Franklin,Steve Jobs, Nick Robinson, Wilko Johnson,Dag Kittlausor any patient, or any patient advocate organisation who have been recipients of cash raised for a different cancer. I believe patients mostly only say what their doctors say to them in terms of cancer type.

The most well-known Neuroendocrine Cancer patient was so famous, thousand of articles were written about him when he died and continue to this day. These articles are ingrained in the bowels of the web and in books – many people will use them as research to reference in their own articles. The same thing is now happening with Nick Robinson and Wilko Johnson to a certain extent (although Neuroendocrine is starting to creep into their vocabulary). I have in fact had an online chat with Wilko Johnson who said he would help with Neuroendocrine publicity (not yet seen though). Check out the conversation here:

The jury is still out on Aretha Franklin but hopefully the power of social media will help to dilute the incorrect publishing of her condition as Pancreatic Cancer. The more stories and articles like this one, the more we can do to counter the onslaught of incorrect articles which are denying our cancer the publicity we deserve. The share button is below.

The is a story about a lady who was faced with one of the most deadly cancers – Pancreatic Cancer, where the 5 year survival rate has not risen for the last 40 years (another story for another time). Young and fit people can struggle with this cancer and its treatment so it must be ultra tough at 83. Her attitude and strength of character in facing up to this terrible disease is very inspiring to me and an example to all.

My own cancer type is not as dangerous as this one. However, I did have some fairly extensive surgery from the same surgeon and reading this story brought back some memories from Nov 2010. Neil Pearce had already told me in the pre operative consultations, that an important factor for him was a positive attitude from the patient to help get through difficult major surgery. I remember telling him I was ‘up for it’. He had also deemed me to be ‘young and fit’. At 55, I was happy with that!

One of the things that really surprised me about major surgery was the speed at which the physiotherapists attempt to get you out of bed. Having around 12 tubes protruding from various parts of my body didn’t seem to put them off despite the obvious medical and ergonomic difficulties. The number of tubes did gradually reduce as certain parts healed and bodily functions resumed. However, each physio session was painful and a lot of effort and willpower was required. I remember not wanting to play this game around day 4 or 5 due to feeling totally washed out (my words to the physio) and I resisted all attempts to ‘go walkies’. Neil visited that evening clearly concerned by the physio’s report. Pep talk complete, he left me with the following words “remember, you’re a winner”. I was up the next day sprinting round the hospital complete with tubes and glad to be back on the physio’s Christmas card list.

I also had a ‘wobble’ last year (another story for another time), but I’m now beyond that stage with a very positive frame of mind………….and I feel much better for it. Onwards and upwards.

So why is the title of the blog “Queen Mother of the Isle of Wight” ? I’m not saying, so please read the article, it might just inspire you too.